Saudi prince jailed for life for servant's murder

LONDON — A Saudi prince, the grandson of King Abdullah, was jailed for life by a British court Wednesday for murdering his male servant in a brutal attack at a London hotel after a long campaign of sexual abuse.

Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Nasir al Saud (pictured, left), 34, was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years by a judge at London's Old Bailey.

"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," judge David Bean told Saud as he sentenced him.

The court convicted Saud on Tuesday of beating and strangling Bandar Abdullah Abdulaziz (pictured, right) to death on February 15 at the culmination of a lengthy period of sexual violence towards his employee.

"It would be wrong for me to sentence you either more severely or more leniently because of your membership of the Saudi royal family," added the judge.

Saud -- whose mother is a daughter of Saudi Arabia's king -- had tried to claim diplomatic immunity when he was arrested following the discovery of his servant's body in their shared suite at the luxury Landmark hotel.

He reportedly had a diplomatic passport but Britain's Foreign Office confirmed he had no diplomatic status when asked by police.

The two-week trial heard that Saud was fuelled by champagne and cocktails when he murdered the 32-year-old Abdulaziz in a ferocious attack after the pair had returned from a Valentine's Day night out.

The victim, also a Saudi, was left with severe injuries including bite marks on both cheeks which prosecutors said showed a clear "sexual element" to the killing.

The prince's lawyers argued that he could face the death penalty in Saudi Arabia over the revelations of homosexuality aired at the trial.

Saud had denied murder and a second charge of grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to an earlier alleged assault in a hotel lift that was captured on CCTV footage. He had admitted manslaughter.

The prince had claimed the pair were friends and that he was heterosexual, but the court heard the prince had ordered gay escorts in London and had frequently looked at websites for gay massage parlours and escort agencies.

Prosecutors said he repeatedly assaulted Abdulaziz and that two attacks were captured on CCTV by the hotel lift. The victim was so worn down by the violence that he let Saud kill him without a fight, they said.

Witnesses had told the court that Bandar -- an orphan who was adopted into the family of a low-ranking civil servant in Jeddah -- was treated "like a slave".

A post-mortem found Abdulaziz had suffered chipped teeth, heavy blows to the head, injuries to the brain and ears and severe neck injuries consistent with strangulation by hand, the trial heard.

Source: AFP, October 20, 2010

Saudis may seek prisoner transfer for killer Prince

A SAUDI prince who was jailed yesterday for a minimum of 20 years for murdering his manservant could use his royal connections to be transferred home much sooner.

Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir al Saud, 34, was convicted overnight of killing Bandar Abdulaziz in a London hotel after weeks of sexually motivated beatings.

Sentencing him at the Old Bailey to life imprisonment, Mr Justice Bean told al Saud that his position in the Saudi monarchy would not help to reduce the minimum term.

"No one in this country is above the law," the judge said. "It would be wrong for me to sentence you either more severely or more leniently because of your membership of the royal family in Saudi Arabia."

The judge said Mr Abdulaziz, 32, had been treated as a "human punchbag".

Security camera footage showed al Saud hitting and kicking him 37 times in the hotel lift. "You were in a position of domination over him, as demonstrated by the lift incident and by the sexually explicit photographs you took of him on your mobile phone," he added.

Mr Abdulaziz's body was found in their suite at the Landmark Hotel, Marylebone, after they had been to a Valentine's Day meal and had drinks.

An analyst close to the Saudis said that although al Saud's homosexuality was an embarrassment, the authorities were likely to make diplomatic moves to bring him home.

"His father [Prince Abdulaziz] is very well respected, the family is close to the king," said the source. "It is very sensitive. They will do this for his father, not for [him]."

The source said the authorities were likely to wait for several years before recommending a prisoner transfer agreement (PTA) with Britain as part of the battle against terrorism.

Britain has PTAs with other states, allowing foreign prisoners to finish their sentences abroad and Britons jailed abroad to return home.

The Saudi source said: "If it is still the wish of the father and the king, the prince will be bought home. It will be very quiet."

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said that no PTA existed between the UK and Saudi Arabia, nor had the Saudis made approaches about the case or in general. Any approach would be considered on its merits.

Al Saud began his sentence last night at Belmarsh Prison, southeast London, where Islamic extremists who learnt of his identity while he was on remand have threatened him.

Source: The Times, October 21, 2010