A sex scandal in faraway Los Angeles, California has enveloped the Saudi Prince whose presence at the Hajj only weeks ago reportedly led to the death of 2,164 people including 320 Nigerians.
See the report from DailyMail:
The Saudi Arabian prince accused of sexually assaulting a maid and abusing up to four others in Los Angeles last month can be named as the son of the Middle Eastern country’s late King Abdullah.
Court documents seen exclusively by Daily Mail Online name him as Majed bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz – one of the late monarch’s 35 known children.
His full identity was disclosed as he escaped felony charges for sex assault today because Los Angeles District Attorney ruled there was insufficient evidence against him.
Al-Saud, 29, was arrested late last month after neighbors spotted a crying, bleeding woman attempting to scale the walls of his rented Beverly Hills compound.
Taken into custody by Los Angeles Police, he was charged with a slew of sexual offenses, including one of ‘forced oral copulation’ and another of battery.
The prince was due in court today to face an initial hearing but sources at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office say the case has been turned over to the office of city attorney Mike Feur.
Contacted by Daily Mail Online, Feur’s office said a case against Al Saud is currently being put together and a new court date will be scheduled for later this year.
The involvement of Feur’s office means the charges against the prince have been downgraded from a felony – which could have left him facing up to four years in jail – to a misdemeanor.
If convicted, Prince Majed could be sentenced to up to a year in prison, as well as handed a fine of $3,000 – a larger than normal amount because the woman involved is thought to have been an employee.
He is, however, part of the Saudi royal family, whose collective personal wealth is estimated at $21 billion.
Meanwhile, lawyers acting for another three women, who claim to have been abused by Al Saud, have filed a civil complaint at Los Angeles Superior Court.
The filing documents, which give the prince’s full name of Majed bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, accuse the royal of assault and battery, false imprisonment and sexual assault.
The name makes clear his lineage – bin is son of, meaning that he is son of Abdullah, who was son of Abdulaziz Al Saud. Abdulaziz was the first king of Saudi Arabia, and his son Abdullah was king until his death in January of this year.
Over a period of three days, the suit continues, the women were subjected to ‘extreme and outrageous conduct’ that caused them to suffer ‘humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress.’
A further note describes the defendant’s acts as ‘intentional, outrageous, despicable, oppressive and fraudulent, and done with ill will and intention to injure the plaintiffs and cause them mental anguish, anxiety and distress.’
During Al Saud’s time in Los Angeles, he is thought to have spent much of his time enjoying the local nightlife and holding lavish parties at his rented $37 million mansion.
The prince and his entourage are also believed to have frequented a number of hot spots, including Déjà Vu Showgirls, a strip club located in downtown Los Angeles.
Speaking shortly after Al Saud’s arrest, neighbor Eric Stiskin claimed the prince had fled the country in a bid to escape justice.
‘I am sure he has taken off in his private jet by now,’ he added.
‘I don’t think he even needs a passport to get out of here.’
Al Saud’s private jet was later spotted in Vancouver by sources who told a British newspaper that they had seen the plane on the tarmac – although the court hearing today heard that he had not left Southern California, the Los Angeles Times reported.
As a result, his $300,000 bail bond and the ongoing refusal of the LAPD to reveal whether Al Saud’s passport was demanded as a condition of his release has drawn anger of women’s groups who say it sends a message that ‘impunity can be bought’.
Speaking to Daily Mail Online, Suad Abu-Dayyeh of Equality Now, a group that fights for the rights of girls and women around the world, said no one should be above the law.
‘If alleged perpetrators of sexual violence use their wealth to escape prosecution, it sends a message that impunity can be bought,’ said Abu-Dayyeh.
‘Millions of women and girls around the world need full access to justice and nobody should be above the law.
‘Where situations exist where alleged perpetrators can use their privilege to evade responsibility for crimes they are accused of, victims are utterly failed.
‘We cannot end sexual violence around the world without effective legal systems that ensure justice for all.
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