British-Pakistani reporter Mazhar Mahmood found guilty of evidence tampering

'Fake Sheikh' faces jail and £800m of civil claims

British Pakistani investigative reporter 'Fake Sheikh' Mazher Mahmood faces jail and £800million of civil claims from 18 targets of his investigations after being found guilty of tampering with evidence in pop star Tulisa Contostavlos’s trial at the Old Bailey here. 

Following a two-week trial at the Old Bailey, the 53-year-old undercover reporter and his driver, Alan Smith, 67, were found guilty of plotting to pervert the course of justice through a conspiracy aimed at subverting the course of justice. Mazhar Mahmood had, 6 years ago, trapped Pakistani players Slaman Butt, Muhammad Amir and Muhammad Asif, with help from cricket agent Mazhar Majeed, in the spot fixing scandal that rocked Pakistani cricket. 

Mazhar Mahmood has been in contact with leading Pakistani politicians. He lied to a top Pakistani politician that a media group in Pakistan was attempting to plant a story on him by paying him (Mazhar Mahmood) in the tune of nearly £100,000. Mahmood made the politician believe that there was a conspiracy against him in place but in reality no such plot existed. This Pakistani politician believed in Mazhar Mahmood’s lies until Mazhar Mahmood was charged of perjury. 

He lied to another Pakistani politician about one of his own family members trying to run story on him in the English press. It was Mazhar Mahmood who spent tens of thousands of Pounds in trapping Pakistani players. 

The pair conspired to suppress evidence in the former N-Dubz star's trial, which was thrown out at Southwark Crown Court in July 2014. The jury deliberated for two days in the case and then returned the guilty verdict. After the guilty verdict was announced, a lawyer for 18 people who claim they were victims of Mahmood's investigations revealed they plan to pursue him in civil claims which could top £800 million.

The case was brought against Mahmood after Tulisa was accused of arranging for him to be sold £800 of cocaine by one of her contacts following an elaborate sting for the Sun on Sunday newspaper in May 2013. During a meeting at the Metropolitan Hotel in London, Mahmood posed as a film producer and plied Miss Contostavlos with alcohol as they discussed an acting role alongside Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio.

Later on when Smith drove the former X Factor judge home to Hertfordshire, she allegedly spoke about a family member who had a drugs problem. When he was interviewed by police about the journey more than a year later, Smith, of Dereham, Norfolk, recalled the conversation and informed the police that the pop star made anti-drugs comments. But a day later, after speaking to Mahmood and emailing his draft statement, the singer's anti-drugs comments were removed, the court heard.

At a pre-trial hearing, Mahmood denied being an “agent provocateur” or that he discussed the drugs conversation with Smith. But when he was questioned at length in the trial, Mahmood appeared to concede he had talked to Smith about what Miss Contostavlos said about drugs in the car. Neither defendant gave evidence but it was said on Mahmood's behalf that there had been a “misunderstanding” of his evidence as he was “steamrollered” with multi-faceted questions.

Defence lawyer John Kelsey-Fry QC told jurors: “Mr Mahmood is not a policeman. He is a journalist. Whilst the prosecution may say he boasts of the number of convictions resulting from his work, securing convictions is not actually his job.”

He said Mahmood's whole investigation was about exposing the pop star's private face “smoking weed” and “arranging cocaine for mates” set against her public persona as a “role model”.

Smith's lawyer, Trevor Burke QC, challenged jurors to try to remember, as his client had done, conversations and events a year earlier.

For more than 25 years, Mahmood has enjoyed a position as “King of the Sting” at the now defunct News of the World, Sunday Times and Sun on Sunday with Smith as his “right-hand man”. 

A spokesman for the company said: “We are disappointed by the news that Mazher Mahmood has been convicted. We do not have further comment at this time.”

The Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently reviewing six cases involving celebrities who were convicted following involvement with Mahmood. 

Ben Rose, Miss Contostavlos' defence lawyer, said after the case: “The real scandal in this case is that Mahmood was allowed to operate as a wholly unregulated police force, 'investigating' crimes without the safeguards which apply to the police. It was obvious from the outset that Tulisa should never have had to go to court. If Mahmood's evidence had been properly stress-tested instead of accepted wholesale by the CPS, we are confident it would have come to the same conclusion. Investigative journalists do important work, but Mahmood clearly went too far.”

Mark Lewis, a lawyer for individuals were convicted of crimes which, they argue, came as the result Mahmood's false evidence, said his clients are pursuing “substantial compensation”. 

The self-styled "king of the sting" claims to have helped in the convictions of 100 criminals during his 25 years as an investigative journalist

His targets have included ex-England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, former Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon, the Countess of Wessex and Princess Michael of Kent.