Singer and TV star Tulisa Contostavlos's trial over drugs allegations has collapsed. Judge Alistair McCreath told Southwark Crown Court he thought prosecution witness Mazher Mahmood had lied in giving evidence. Mr Mahmood claimed Ms Contostavlos, 26, had brokered a deal through her friend Mike GLC to supply Class A drugs.
The Sun journalist Mr Mahmood has been "suspended pending an internal investigation" the newspaper said. Ms Contostavlos, the former N-Dubz singer and X Factor judge, had denied the allegations against her. The judge told the jury the case "cannot go any further" because there were "strong grounds to believe" that Mr Mahmood had "lied" at a hearing before the trial started.
Explaining his decision Judge McCreath said: "Where there has been some aspect of the investigation or prosecution of a crime which is tainted in some way by serious misconduct to the point that the integrity of the court would be compromised by allowing the trial to go ahead, in that sense the court would be seen to be sanctioning or colluding in that sort of behaviour, then the court has no alternative but to say 'This case must go no further'."
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