Britain to review 'Fake Sheikh' conviction

More than a dozen convictions secured through evidence given by a British tabloid reporter will be reviewed, prosecutors say.

Twenty-five convictions secured through evidence given by British tabloid reporter Mazher Mahmood - nicknamed the Fake Sheikh - will be reviewed because of doubts over his reliability as a witness, prosecutors say.

Infamous for often reporting undercover, posing as a wealthy Arab dressed in robes and a keffiyeh, his evidence has helped secure convictions in several high-profile cases, including on drug charges involving celebrities and sporting figures.

His methods, though, have been criticised and several of his targets have complained of entrapment.

In July, a case against pop star Tulisa Contostavlos, who was accused of offering to procure cocaine for Mahmood, collapsed after the judge said he had "strong grounds to believe" Mahmood had lied at a hearing before the trial started.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said this had prompted the body to look again at convictions secured through evidence supplied by Mahmood.

"We are now considering past cases which resulted in a conviction in criminal courts in England and Wales based on evidence provided by Mr Mahmood, and have identified 25 cases," the CPS said in a statement.

In the Contostavlos case, Mahmood had posed as a wealthy film producer offering the former talent show judge a major role in a Bollywood film.

Mahmood was suspended in July from The Sun newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News UK British newspaper arm, following the trial's collapse.

The Sun said it was aware of the CPS statement, and that it was continuing its internal investigations into the matter.

Mahmood had previously worked for Murdoch's News of the World newspaper before it was shut down in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.

His story on cricket spot-fixing in 2011 led to the convictions of three Pakistan players for their involvement in the betting scam, while his investigative work earned him a Reporter of the Year award at the 1998 British Press Awards.


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Published 5 December 2014 4:31am
Updated 5 December 2014 5:48am


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