A Saudi embassy official alleged to have indecently assaulted a girl aged 11 at a London party will be sent home in disgrace despite a plea for him to be investigated here. The 41-year-old man, who is a senior member of the Saudi Embassy and works "closely with the Ambassador", claimed diplomatic immunity when Scotland Yard officers questioned him. He is reported to have allegedly molested the youngster in a bedroom at the Holland Park home of another diplomat from a different embassy during a party. He was arrested on Monday morning last week and taken to a police station, but officers had to release him when he claimed immunity. If he had committed the alleged crime in his home country the man, thought to come from a wealthy family, could be beheaded or face death by stoning. A worker at the Saudi Embassy said: "If he was married and committed a sexual act with a child and there were four witnesses then he could be stoned to death, but if he was not married he could get 100 lashes."
| "Unless it was a infidel maid, in which case there is no crime." |
But, because of his family's connections, it it is unlikely that he will face any severe punishment, just disgrace in the diplomatic community, although he may be detained for a short period by Interior Ministry officials, who deal with interrogation.
Megan Bruns, a project manager for Kidscape, said: "It would be a miscarriage of justice to give someone special privileges. Crimes are committed by people of all statuses." Ms Bruns added: "The victims are violated and abused for the first time by the perpetrators and the law will violate and abuse them a second time." Scotland Yard said it is taking no further action and has reported the matter to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which wrote to the Saudi Ambassador asking for immunity for the suspect to be waived. The Ambassador has yet to reply to that request, sent last week. Latest figures, from 2002, show that 20 serious offences — those that could normally result in a jail term of a year or more — were allegedly committed by individuals from among the 20,000 protected by diplomatic immunity. |