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| “ | If he supplies, his career is over as well. He's finished. He could get banged up tomorrow. All so I could shag a bird at the Savoy. | „ |
| ~ Mahmood laughing on-camera about the John Alford sting. |
Mazher Mahmood (born 22 March 1963) is a British former undercover journalist for the News of the World and the Sun on Sunday. Well known for his undercover sting operations, he was nicknamed The Fake Sheikh because he often posed as "Sheikh Mohammed Al-Kareen" during the course of his investigations. However, his career came to an end in 2014 after the trial of X-Factor judge Tulisa, arrested on drug charges after one of Mahmood's stings, collapsed following accusations of perjury against Mahmood. An investigation by the British documentary series Panorama found that Mahmood had used numerous unethical methods during his sting operations, including making payments to third parties to supply his targets with drugs and using career opportunities to bribe targets into getting him cocaine. He was ultimately convicted of perverting the course of justice and sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Biography edit
Mazher Mahmood was born in Birmingham on 22 March 1963. He first became a journalist at age 18, exposing family friends for selling pirate DVDs. This gained him employment as a journalist. He first used the sheikh disguise in 1984 while spying on a vice ring in Birmingham, dressing as a sheikh to invite prostitutes to his hotel room.
From 1991 to 2011, Mahmood worked for the News of the World carrying out sting operations. He would dress up as a sheikh and use lucrative job offers to entice and pressure targets into supplying him with drugs. He would also sometimes use the identity of businessman "Sam Fernando".
Notable stings edit
Emma Morgan edit
In 1995, Mahmood, using his "Mohammed Al-Kareen" persona, contacted model Emma Morgan and invited her to Lanzarote under the pretence of discussing a bikini modelling contract. Mahmood hired a man known only as "Billy" to assist in the sting, offering his services as Morgan's bodyguard. Mahmood supplied "Billy" with cocaine and cannabis to give to Morgan so she could be framed as a drug dealer.
During a secretly-recorded meeting, "Billy" gave Morgan cocaine and cannabis, which she took. Mahmood, disguised as the sheikh, then asked Morgan to get him some cocaine. Off-camera, he used the modelling contract to pressure her into agreeing to buy more cocaine from "Billy". That night, Morgan bought two bags of cocaine from "Billy" and slid them under Mahmood's door. Mahmood soon left without further discussing the contract and published a News of the World story about the meeting, changing it significantly so that it appeared he had payed her for drugs. Morgan was sacked from her contract with The Sun soon after as a result of the sting.
John Alford edit
In 1997, Mahmood targeted actor John Alford for a drug sting. Alford was invited to meet "His Royal Highness, Mohammed Al-Kareen" at the Savoy Hotel in London. Before the meeting, Mahmood's secret camera recorded him laughing about the prospect of Alford being sent to prison because of the sting. When Alford arrived, Mahmood offered him the chance to work with Robert Di Niro and Sylvester Stallone in a film being shot in Dubai if he supplied him with drugs. Alford agreed, buying two grams of cocaine and eleven grams of cannabis from a friend of his and gave the drugs to Mahmood, in a meeting secretly caught on tape.
Mahmood published a story in the News of the World breaking the story, getting Alford arrested for drug dealing. He testified at Alford's trial, falsely claiming to have been tipped off by a contact that Alford was a drug dealer. Alford's attempt to defend himself by claiming entrapment failed and he was sentenced to nine months in prison. He served six weeks before being released and fitted with an electronic tag.
Victoria Beckham kidnap plot edit
In 2003, Mahmood payed £10, 000 pounds to an Albanian man named Florim Gashi to set up a fake plot to kidnap musician Victoria Beckham and her children for a £5, 000, 000 pound ransom. Gashi recorded meetings with his co-conspirators discussing ransom money. Mahmood eventually called the police, leading to the arrest of the gang and allowing the News of the World to run a front-page story on the kidnap plot. However, the trial collapsed seven months later after evidence of Mahmood's payments to Gashi was found, casting doubt on his reliability as an informant. One of the defendants later successfully sued the News of the World for libel. Mahmood was investigated by the UK Attorney General, but no action was taken.
Leveson Inquiry edit
During the 2011 investigation into the unsolved Murder of Daniel Morgan, the private detective firm Southern Investigations came under suspicion due to the activities of Jonathan Rees, a suspect in the case. It was discovered that he had earned £150, 000 pounds a year from the News of the World by supplying them with illegally obtained information about celebrities. Evidence was found that Mazher Mahmood and other journalists had bought stories about celebrities from Southern Investigations and corrupt police officers. This, combined with phone hacking allegations, lead to the Leveson Inquiry, an investigation into unethical practices by the News of the World and other tabloid newspapers. It was also found that Mahmood had worked with Southern Investigations on the John Alford sting.
At the Leveson Inquiry, Mahmood testified that he had never commissioned private detectives. When confronted with letters between him and a Southern Investigations PI, he claimed that it wasn't his decision, and therefore he hadn't lied. Eventually, the News of the World collapsed following the inquiry, and Mahmood went on to work for the Sun on Sunday.
Exposure edit
Tulisa Contostavlos edit
In 2014, Mahmood, posing as a film producer, invited X-Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos to Las Vegas to discuss the possibility of her appearing in a film alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. In return for this part, she was to supply him with £800 pounds worth of cocaine. Tulisa agreed, and introduced Mahmood to a friend who sold him the drugs, in a secretly recorded meeting. Mahmood published his story and Tulisa was charged with facilitating a drug deal.
During her trial, Tulisa insisted that she had not intended for a drug deal to take place, recalling a conversation she had with a friend in Mahmood's car in which she expressed anti-cocaine views. Mahmood's driver Alan Smith gave a statement to police in which he confirmed this version of events. However, after a conversation with Mazher Mahmood he changed his story, saying he couldn't remember. When asked about it in court, Mahmood admitted to this conversation; however, this conflicted with evidence he had given earlier while under oath. The judge turned on Mahmood and accused him of tampering with witness evidence and then lying about it, leading to the collapse of the case.
Panorama investigation edit
After the collapse of the Tulisa trial, Panorama launched an investigation into Mahmood. The investigation included interviews with Florim Gashi, "Billy" and Mahmood's former colleague Steve Grayson, all of whom talked about how they had helped Mazher Mahmood set up the targets of his stings. Mahmood attempted to prevent the airing of the Panorama episode, fighting a legal battle claiming that the episode, which used never-before-seen pictures of him, would put his life in danger. His case was ultimately rejected and the episode aired on 12 November 2014, revealing the extent of Mahmood's unethical practices to the public.
Conviction edit
On 29 September 2015, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that Mahmood and Alan Smith had been charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Following a trial at the Old Bailey, both were convicted. Mahmood was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment.