Gay Saudi prince sentenced in lurid murder case Gay Saudi prince sentenced in lurid murder case By The Associated Press 10.20.2010 6:00pm EDT (London) Life in prison, with parole possible after 20 years. That was the sentence handed down Wednesday to a Saudi prince convicted of a killing so lurid it has shocked even London, with its long history of tawdry sex crimes dating back to Jack the Ripper. The victim, Bandar Abdulaziz, had so many internal injuries, including bleeding on the brain and a fractured larynx, that pathologists could not pinpoint the precise cause of death after his body was found in the posh Landmark Hotel. The killer was a Saudi prince who tried in vain to hide his homosexuality from the court and had been filmed on a closed-circuit camera mercilessly beating the victim – his paid manservant – in the hotel elevator. The frenzied killing, and the erotic nude photos of the victim found on the prince’s mobile phone, have embarrassed the Saudi royal family, which has refused to comment on the matter. The case is not receiving press attention inside Saudi Arabia. Justice David Bean told the killer, Prince Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Saud, that no man, even a royal, was above the law. He said it would be wrong for him to allow the prince’s royal status to influence the severity of the sentence. The judge said Saud had cruelly taken advantage of Abdulaziz before killing him in a rage. “You killed Abdulaziz in the course of a sustained and ferocious assault,” Bean said. “You were in a position of domination over him, as demonstrated both by the lift (elevator) incident and by the sexually explicit photographs you took of him, at some point prior to Feb. 15, which were found on your mobile phone. Abdulaziz was a vulnerable victim, entirely subjugated to your will. You were in a position of authority and trust over him which you exploited ruthlessly.” FULL STORY: