London: Saudi prince guilty of servant's murder.

[General Duke]

Saudi prince guilty of servant's murderSaud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud convicted by Old

 

Bailey jury of killing Bandar Abdulaziz at five-star London hotel

(1)

Sam Jones and agencies guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 19 October 2010 15.31 BST Article history

Bandar Abdulaziz was the victim of a 'sadistic' campaign of abuse by the prince. Photograph: Metropolitan police/PA

 

A gay Saudi prince is facing a life sentence after being convicted of beating and strangling his servant to death at the culmination of a campaign of "sadistic" abuse.

 

Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud, a grandson of the billionaire king of Saudi Arabia, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Bandar Abdulaziz at their five-star hotel suite in central London.

 

The 34-year-old prince had been drinking champagne and sex on the beach cocktails when he bit the 32-year-old hard on both cheeks during the attack in February. They had just returned from a Valentine's night out.

 

Saud initially believed he had diplomatic immunity, but his status as a Saudi royal could not save him from prosecution.

 

The prince was found guilty of murder today after an hour and 35 minutes of jury deliberation. He showed no reaction as the decision was announced.

 

The verdict will mean a lengthy jail term for the prince and an end to his playboy lifestyle, funded by his wealthy family, in which he dined in fine restaurants and secretly entertained gay escorts in his plush hotel room.

 

Saud's lawyers failed in a last-ditch attempt to stop details of his encounters with male escorts being revealed during the trial. In a sign of the anxiety about his sexuality becoming public, the prince's lawyers had initially argued that the legal argument about the escorts should be held behind closed doors.

 

John Kelsey-Fry QC, defending, said Saud had already faced abuse from Islamic fundamentalists being held alongside him at Belmarsh prison. The court heard that homosexuality remains a capital offence in Saudi Arabia, and the country in which the acts take place has little relevance to prosecution under the country's sharia law.

 

Kelsey-Fry unsuccessfully argued before the trial started that evidence of the gay relationship should not be put before the jury, claiming it was not "probative" of the murder allegations.

 

More details soon ...

[Valenteenah.]

How long is a life sentence these days? 15 years?

[General Duke]

^^^Sad innit.

[N.O.R.F]

Will he survive in Belmarsh?

[Som@li]

^They should return him to KSA, where he will surely be beheaded.

[Haatu]

^ Stoned to death actually, only if he's been married before and there are witnesses.

[Malika]

Originally posted by N.O.R.F:

Will he survive in Belmarsh?

Maxa naga gale,I hope he gets put in the same cell as some hardcore black criminals.. So he can be Mrs Tyrone for the next 15yrs.. astagfirullah.

 

I dont know why this man makes me so angry,caraab kibiirka kaa batee..arrgghh.

[Som@li]

Originally posted by Haatu:

^ Stoned to death actually, only if he's been married before and there are witnesses.

what about homosexuality?

 

bigger than all this , is how he shamed the Kingdom, These pple care alot about their pride.

[ElPunto]

It's amazing to me what the 'servant' chose to subject himself to for money/prestige. What kind of human being willingly does that. I hate how a large portion of Arabs, particularly Gulf Arabs, bow and scrape before 'royalty'. Dulli.

[General Duke]

He did not fight back, allowed to be beaten to death. Maybe was too drunk and confused, but the servent did not fight back...

[Som@li]

Have you seen the video clip, he punched over 35 times, and he didn't hit back, Servant was submissive.

[Mad_Mullah]

We shouldn't be talking as we don't know what we would'v done, you should know that if he said no or fought back the Prince could've and would've killed/tortured his parents/kids/brothers & sisters. Wallah these goverments are to corrupt.

[Nin-Yaaban]

Just payoff the judge u dumbasss, and move to the UAE. I am sure beating ur servant to death is permissible and legal in some instances.

[Peace Action]

Sad and tragic ending for both. Convicted in western country but in Saudia Arabia, he will have gotten away with murder. What does that say about justice in Muslim conutries?

[General Duke]

Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud, who murdered Bandar Abdulaziz in their five-star hotel suite. Photograph: Metropolitan Police/PA

 

A Saudi prince who murdered his servant at the culmination of a campaign of "sadistic" abuse was jailed for life today and lambasted by a judge for telling a "pack of lies" in an effort to conceal his crimes.

 

Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud, a grandson of the billionaire king of Saudi Arabia, was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years for strangling and beating Bandar Abdulaziz to death in a "brutal" assault at their five-star London hotel.

 

The prince bit the 32-year-old hard on both cheeks during the attack at their suite in February, which was said to have had a "sexual element". He had been drinking champagne and cocktails when he began the ferocious beating after a Valentine's night out.

 

The Old Bailey had heard that the murder of Abdulaziz was the last act of a "deeply abusive" master-servant relationship in which the prince carried out frequent attacks on his aide "for his own personal gratification".

 

Saud initially believed he had diplomatic immunity, but his status as a Saudi royal could not save him from arrest and prosecution.

 

Sentencing him today, Mr Justice Bean said: "It is very unusual for a prince to be in the dock on a murder charge. No one in this country is above the law. It would be wrong for me to sentence you either more severely or more leniently because of your membership of the Saudi royal family."

 

During the trial, jurors were told that by the early hours of 15 February, Abdulaziz was so worn down and injured that he let Saud kill him without a fight. The prince then spent hours on the phone to a mysterious contact in Saudi Arabia trying to decide how to cover up his crime.

 

The judge said Saud had told a "pack of lies" to paramedics and police before finally admitting that he carried out the killing. Bean said he could not be sure whether Saud had intended to kill Abdulaziz, but "I think the most likely explanation is that you could not care less whether you killed him or not".

 

He told Saud he had treated his victim "as a human punchbag" and had never shown any regret. "If you had any remorse you would have sought medical help immediately. But you were only concerned for yourself," said the judge.

 

The 34-year-old prince, who stood in the dock with his arms crossed, showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down.

 

He was found guilty of murder yesterday after the jury had deliberated for an hour and 35 minutes. He was also convicted of a second count of grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to a previous in a lift at the Landmark hotel, in Marylebone, where the men were staying.

 

Saud tried to conceal the true nature of his relationship with his servant, claiming they were "friends and equals", but a porter at the hotel said Abdulaziz was treated "like a slave".

 

The prince claimed he was heterosexual and had a girlfriend in Saudi Arabia, but he had booked appointments with at least two male escorts and one gay masseur, and looked at hundreds of images of men on gay websites. Photographs of Abdulaziz in "compromising" positions were found on his phone.

 

Saud denied killing his servant until shortly before the trial, when he admitted he had caused his death. Jurors rejected a claim by his barrister, John Kelsey-Fry QC, that Saud was guilty only of manslaughter.

 

His lawyers also failed in a last-ditch attempt to stop details of his encounters with male escorts being revealed during the trial. In a sign of the anxiety about his sexuality becoming public, the prince's legal team initially argued that the legal argument about the escorts should be held behind closed doors.

 

Kelsey-Fry said Saud had already faced abuse from Islamic fundamentalists being held alongside him in prison. The court heard that homosexuality remains a capital offence in Saudi Arabia, and the country in which the acts take place has little relevance to prosecution under the country's sharia law. If he ever returns there, Saud faces the possibility of execution. He could seek asylum in Britain when he is eventually released.