The drugs trial concerning singer and television personality Tulisa Contostavlos has collapsed.
The trial, which started last week at Southwark Crown Court, has come to an end after Judge Alistair McCreath stated that he believes prosecution witness Mazher Mahmood lied to the court at a pre-trial hearing, reports BBC News.
Undercover reporter for ‘The Sun On Sunday’, Mahmood pretended to be a film producer and met up with Contostavlos on a number of occasions, promising to get her film work. He then asked the N-Dubz singer to broker a £800 drug deal. Southwark Crown Court heard last week that Contostavlos laid on a “boys’ night out” for the reporter at a strip club in London to help land her a role in the movie instead of actresses Keira Knightley or Kate Winslet.
However, because of McCreath’s suspicions of Mahmood lying to the court, Contostavlos will walk free, as will her co-defendant Michael Coombs, 36, who had previously pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine.
Contostavlos spoke outside of court earlier today, following the case’s collapse. “I have never dealt drugs and never been involved in taking or dealing cocaine,” she commented. “Mahmood has now been exposed by my lawyers openly lying to the judge and jury. These lies were told to stop crucial evidence going before the jury.”
She went on to say that an audition for the film role was used as evidence in court by the prosecution, in which she acted the “part of a bad, rough, ghetto girl”. She said: “They recorded this and produced this as evidence when I thought it was an audition. It was a terrible thing to do. Thankfully, the lies have been uncovered and justice has been done.”
Mahmood has since been suspended from The Sun.