'Fake Sheikh' Mazher Mahmood jailed for 15 months
Friday 21 October 2016 19:54, UK
'Fake Sheikh' Mazher Mahmood has been jailed for 15 months for tampering with evidence in a collapsed drugs trial.
Investigative journalist Mahmood, who worked for The Sun on Sunday newspaper, was jailed on Friday after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice in a drugs case involving the singer Tulisa Contostavlos.
The 53-year-old has been involved in a number of convictions and was also part of a case that saw 13 footballers arrested in 2013 for spot-fixing - that case later collapsed due to a lack of evidence.
Mahmood also carried out notable stings on former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson and Pakistan cricketer Mohammed Amir.
Eriksson was sacked by the FA in 2006, following a sting operation where the Swede was alleged to have said he would be prepared to quit the England job to become Aston Villa's manager.
Meanwhile, Amir was jailed and given a lengthy ban from cricket in 2011 after being found guilty of spot-fixing following another sting operation by Mahmood.
Eriksson, who described the 15 month jail term as "too little, too late", has now instructed his lawyers to pursue a civil case against Mahmood following his conviction, while Amir has also threatened to pursue legal action.
