Saudi prince sexually abuses servant, batters him to death

LONDON - A Saudi prince has beaten his manservant lover to death in a sexually motivated attack at an exclusive London hotel, a media report said Wednesday.

Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasir Al Saud, the grandson of the billionaire king of Saudi Arabia, murdered Bandar Abdulaziz after subjecting him to weeks of physical and sexual abuse, the jury at Old Bailey was told, Daily Mail reported on its website.

The royal allegedly downed champagne and six Sex on the Beach cocktails before repeatedly punching his 32-year-old aide in the head, knocking out teeth and leaving him with severe brain injuries in the suite they shared at the five-star Landmark Hotel in Marylebone.

He also strangled Abdulaziz with such force that he fractured bones in the servants neck and bit him on both cheeks in a way that clearly had a sexual connotation, the court heard.

Al Saud, 34, allegedly tried to cover his tracks by cleaning up blood from the attack before raising the alarm. He was said to have at first told police that Abdulaziz had suffered the injuries in a robbery.

The prince later changed his story and admitted killing his servant, but he denies murder and one count of grievous bodily harm with intent.

The pair arrived in London in December last year for the final leg of an extended world holiday. They had visited Prague, Milan, Marrakesh and the Maldives, apparently using the Spartacus International Gay Guide as a travel planner.

Al Saud enjoyed a party lifestyle in the capital, rising late and spending the afternoons shopping before eating out and going to nightclubs until the early hours.

He was spotted flirting with barmen and used male prostitutes at least twice during his stay, the jury was told.

The prince told police he was a friend and equal of Abdulaziz, the adopted son of middle-class Saudi parents, and that his aide travelled with him everywhere.

But the court heard how Abdulaziz flew in economy while Al Saud went first class. It was also said the servant walked two steps behind his master and slept most nights on the floor of the hotel room they shared.

Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said: “Their was a far more complicated relationship than the defendant was prepared to admit and there was an abusive undertone to it.”

“Bandar was treated as an aide or servant and there was a far more sinister aspect to the defendants treatment of the victim,” Laidlaw said.

“He would beat Bandar up and the abuse was not confined to physical violence - there was a sexual element to it as well.”

The jury saw CCTV footage of an earlier attack in which Al Saud bared his teeth as he subjected Abdulaziz to blows with his fists and elbows in the hotel lift Jan 22.

Laidlaw said: “What is also evident from the victims behaviour is that he had become by this point almost entirely submissive.”

“He could not or did not at any stage offer any sort of resistance, attempt to fight back or even to raise his hand to the defendant.”

On Feb 14, the night of the alleged murder, the pair went for a Valentines meal before returning to their hotel just before midnight.

Police experts found forensic evidence from Al Saud on Abdulazizs underwear. Despite this, the prince continued to deny he was gay.

But Laidlaw said: “The evidence establishes quite conclusively that he is either gay or that he has homosexual tendencies.”

A search of the princes laptop revealed he looked at gay massage and escort agency websites, jurors were told.

Al Saud’s mother is the daughter of King Abdullah. His father, Prince Abdulaziz, who is the nephew of the king, watched from the public gallery as his shaven-headed son sat in the dock following proceedings through an Arabic interpreter. The trial continues.