7/7 "Fifth" bomber Patel gets 4 months . Mazher Mahmoud let off.

Some may remember the discussion here, of the News of the World story (October 24th) of the pathetic Imran Patel (no relation) who according to Rupe’s Rag “The Times” today ;

Imran Patel pleaded guilty to making a false report which convinced Mazher Mahmood, the investigative journalist on the News Of The World, that he had information relevant to the investigation into the bombings on July 7.

In an interesting insight into the working of the NOW newsdesk, it appears from the court record that the intrepid journalistic sleuth was encouraged to listen to Patel’s evident nonsense when ..

"Patel sent a series of 17 emails to Ian Edmondson, the associate news editor of the News of the World, in which he first gave the newspaper a "taster" of the information he claimed to have and then negotiated over payment.

In his final email, when he was told, "You have nothing to worry about, you’re not the story", he replied: "I am the fifth person."

He met Mazher Mahmoud on October 20 for a two-hour interview and that material was later handed to police, who arrested Patel on October 22. He was paid £200 as compensation for him losing a day’s work and the fee agreed, but never paid, for the interview was £5,000."

Unbelievably the PC Plods of the Met’s crack SO13 anti-terrorist squad were “diverted” from the London bombings inquiry for 6 days, "effectively working round the clock" to investigate his claims. Leeds Magistrates were told that this waste of time and effort cost the taxpayer 4,070 hours of police time costing £60,000.

As we said at the time …

Of course the Police … still scratching through tons of trains, bus debris, and squillions of CCTV images … have to take note of any information the public provide. Here’s some for them … Sir Ian Blair tells lies in public about the progress of their investigations. Arrest him for wasting the Public’s time … and money.

PS District Judge David Kitson sent him down for 4 out of a possible 6 months for wasting Police time.

PPS Picture is NOT Imran Patel