“Fake Sheikh” Mazher Mahmood sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in Tulisa drugs case

Investigative journalist Mazher Mahmood has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for tampering with evidence in relation to the Tulisa drug case.

Mahmood, a former News of the World journalist known for his "Fake Sheikh" style stings, was found guilty of plotting to pervert the course of justice by conspiring to suppress evidence at the trial of Tulisa Contostavlos in 2014. https://twitter.com/pressgazette/status/789423857648148482 Tulisa was accused of supplying cocaine in the 2014 trial after Mahmood claimed she had brokered a deal through her friend Mike GLC to supply Class A drugs. In March 2013, Mr Mahmood posed as a film producer and plied Ms Contostavlos with alcohol as they discussed an acting role alongside Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio. But the case soon collapsed after the judge told the jury the case "cannot go any further" because there were "strong grounds to believe" that Mahmood had "lied" at a hearing before the trial started. Judge Gerald Gordon has now jailed Mahmood for 15 months, saying that while he accepted he had done “some good work” in his long career, there could be no justification for what he had done and custody was inevitable. After the ruling, News UK were swift to confirm the termination of Mr Mahmood's employment with the company.

A spokesperson for News UK has confirmed 'Fake Sheikh' journalist Mazher Mahmood's "employment has been terminated"

— Sky News Newsdesk (@SkyNewsBreak) October 21, 2016

As The Independent and the Press Association report, following the guilty verdict last month, it was announced that 18 civil claims were being launched against Mr Mahmood, which could lead to compensation payouts totalling some £800 million. The Crown Prosecution Service has already dropped a number of live cases and reviewed 25 past convictions where Mahmood was involved. Six of those involving mainly high-profile individuals have been taken up by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Mahmood spent 20 years working for the News of the World, The Sunday Times, and later The Sun on Sunday. He was involved in undercover sting operations on many public figures including former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson, World Snooker champions John Higgins and actor John Alford.