"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.
...
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.
Bandar Abdulaziz
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 Saudi prince who strangled and beat his servant to death at the culmination of a campaign of 'sadistic' abuse was jailed for life today and told that 'no one in this country is above the law'.
Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud, a grandson of the billionaire king of Saudi Arabia, was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years for murdering Bandar Abdulaziz in a 'brutal' assault at their five-star hotel earlier this year.
...Sentencing him today, Mr Justice Bean said: "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.
"It would be wrong for me to sentence you either more severely or more leniently because of your membership of the Saudi royal family."
The judge said that while he could not be sure whether Saud had intended to kill Abdulaziz, "I think the most likely explanation is that you could not care less whether you killed him or not"."
"Saud was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Bandar Abdulaziz in a 'brutal' assault at their five-star hotel suite.
Mr Abdulaziz
The prince was fuelled by champagne and 'sex on the beach' cocktails when he bit the 32-year-old hard on both cheeks during the attack in February.
They had just returned from a Valentine's Day night out when Saud launched the ferocious assault.
When he was arrested he at first wrongly believed he had diplomatic immunity but his special status as a Saudi royal could not save him from British justice.
The 34-year-old, a member of one of the world's richest and most powerful dynasties, was found guilty of murder today by the jury after just one hour and 35 minutes of deliberation.
