Crime Desk

The 34-YEAR-OLD Saudi prince convicted of murder at the Old Bailey yesterday of his butler, may be allowed to seek asylum in the UK given that homosexuality in Saudi Arabia is illegal.    

The Metropolitan Police arrested Saud Abdulaziz was arrested and taken to Paddington police station and during interview he maintained that the victim had been attacked during an earlier robbery, which had resulted in the injuries and a large quantity of cash being stolen. The alleged robbery had not been reported to police and officers found no evidence that it had occurred.

Inquiries disclosed that the victim had been treated at St Mary's Hospital for an ear injury and was discharged on 10th February. Police believe the injury was inflicted by the defendant, along with other injuries over a sustained period of abuse.

A post mortem examination conducted at Westminster mortuary gave the cause of death as compression to the neck and head injury. A series of injuries were found - some historic, some recent and others having occurred within 24 hours. The pathologist stated that the fatal injuries were new and could not be attributed to an earlier incident.

Injuries identified included two broken ribs, damage to internal organs, bleeding on the brain, a severe ear injury; bite marks to the cheeks, bruising up and down legs and arms, a bite mark to his right arm and back, bruising to his neck and a broken larynx consistent with compression to the neck. There was bruising to his face, a split lip and teeth chipped. The pathologist's evidence was that these were typical injuries seen in abuse cases caused by heavy punching and kicking over a period of time.

In the hotel suite there was evidence that attempts had been made to clear up the blood and that the victim's body had been dragged from the bathroom into the hallway, to the bedroom and on to the bed in an attempt to cover his tracks.

Detective Chief Inspector John McFarlane, who led the investigation, said: "The defendant used his position of power over the victim to gratuitously inflict violence upon him over a long period of time. After the victim's body was discovered he made every effort to evade justice, including misleading police by alleging that the victim had been robbed and then trying to claim diplomatic immunity, which he was not entitled to in the UK.

"This case clearly demonstrates that the MPS will not tolerate violence and will pursue justice for victims regardless of any complexities arising from an individual's status and cultural backgrounds."   

photo credit:  Met Police