Saudi Prince Found Guilty of Murder

[Bella Fortuna]

Having a sadistic sexual relationship with your servant? Thinking of killing them in torturous fashion? Britain's now off the list of possible locations.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/oct/2 ... d-for-life

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.

[Trolldor]

Yup. Read this in the SMH last week or so, and the update today.

Question is, how much of his upbringing fucked with his head, and how much of him is just naturally a sadistic asshole?

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Yup. Read this in the SMH last week or so, and the update today.

Question is, how much of his upbringing fucked with his head, and how much of him is just naturally a sadistic asshole?

Well, he's gay, so obviously he has turned against Allan (Pigs Barf Upon Him) - serves him right - no virgins for him!

[Coito ergo sum]

Ironically, under Sha'ria law the Prince was required to kill the servant he was butt-ramming, because homosexuality is illegal.

[Feck]

Fuck him..... public execution ! gimme a sword I'll do it

[klr]

Hmmm ... if he'd done this in Saudi itself, what would have happened to him I wonder?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

How we know the murder wasn't consensual?


(If I worked for the guy suicide would definitely be an option.)

[Feck]

Hmmm ... if he'd done this in Saudi itself, what would have happened to him I wonder?

I think we all know that his Grandad would have told him off and given him a new servant .

[klr]

Hmmm ... if he'd done this in Saudi itself, what would have happened to him I wonder?

I think we all know that his Grandad would have told him off and given him a new servant .

I suspect so.