This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/world/europe/hassa-bint-salman-paris-assault.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Saudi Princess Convicted in French Assault Case: ‘This Dog Must be Killed’ | |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| PARIS — A French court on Thursday found a Saudi princess guilty of being complicit in the assault of a contractor in her Paris apartment three years ago, a case in which he had accused her of saying of him, “This dog must be killed.” | PARIS — A French court on Thursday found a Saudi princess guilty of being complicit in the assault of a contractor in her Paris apartment three years ago, a case in which he had accused her of saying of him, “This dog must be killed.” |
| The princess, Hassa bint Salman, was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence and fined 10,000 euros, nearly $11,000 — a pittance to a Saudi royal whose family includes many billionaires. The princess, 42, is the daughter of King Salman, the Saudi monarch, and the half sister of the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. | |
| She had accused the contractor of trying to take a picture of her that could be used against her in the tabloid press. | She had accused the contractor of trying to take a picture of her that could be used against her in the tabloid press. |
| Princess Hassa’s bodyguard and assistant at the time, Rani Saïdi, was found guilty of assault. He received an eight-month suspended sentence and was fined €5,000. Under French law, suspended sentences do not involve time in prison unless a new crime or offense is committed within a given time period. | Princess Hassa’s bodyguard and assistant at the time, Rani Saïdi, was found guilty of assault. He received an eight-month suspended sentence and was fined €5,000. Under French law, suspended sentences do not involve time in prison unless a new crime or offense is committed within a given time period. |
| The episode occurred on Sept. 26, 2016, at an apartment belonging to the Saudi royal family in the upscale 16th Arrondissement of Paris. Several members of the royal family own property in France, mostly in Paris and on the French Riviera. | |
| Ashraf Eid, the contractor, told investigators that he was working on a paint job on the residence’s seventh floor that evening when he was asked to come to the fifth floor to repair a wash basin. Mr. Eid said that when he took out his mobile phone to record the damage in the bathroom, the princess accused him of trying to take a picture of her in the reflection of a mirror. | Ashraf Eid, the contractor, told investigators that he was working on a paint job on the residence’s seventh floor that evening when he was asked to come to the fifth floor to repair a wash basin. Mr. Eid said that when he took out his mobile phone to record the damage in the bathroom, the princess accused him of trying to take a picture of her in the reflection of a mirror. |
| In Mr. Eid’s telling, Princess Hassa called out to Mr. Saïdi, who hit and threatened him with a firearm, tied his hands and ordered him to kneel and kiss the princess’s feet. The contractor told investigators that the princess also said, “He doesn’t deserve to live.” | In Mr. Eid’s telling, Princess Hassa called out to Mr. Saïdi, who hit and threatened him with a firearm, tied his hands and ordered him to kneel and kiss the princess’s feet. The contractor told investigators that the princess also said, “He doesn’t deserve to live.” |
| The contractor said his phone was taken away — the princess’s lawyers contend that he gave it willingly — and he was let go several hours afterward. | The contractor said his phone was taken away — the princess’s lawyers contend that he gave it willingly — and he was let go several hours afterward. |
| The princess and her bodyguard were taken into custody after Mr. Eid filed a complaint with the Paris police. | The princess and her bodyguard were taken into custody after Mr. Eid filed a complaint with the Paris police. |
| Mr. Saïdi was detained for over two months, but Princess Hassa was released after several hours, and she returned to Saudi Arabia. She has not appeared in court in France since then, despite an arrest warrant that the French authorities issued in December 2017. | |
| Only Mr. Saïdi testified at the trial, which was held in July and relied mostly on conflicting testimonies, given the absence of visual evidence. An employee of the princess destroyed Mr. Eid’s phone, and there was no surveillance video. | Only Mr. Saïdi testified at the trial, which was held in July and relied mostly on conflicting testimonies, given the absence of visual evidence. An employee of the princess destroyed Mr. Eid’s phone, and there was no surveillance video. |
| At the trial, Mr. Saïdi denied being violent with the contractor or threatening him, despite the bruises left on Mr. Eid’s wrists and face. | At the trial, Mr. Saïdi denied being violent with the contractor or threatening him, despite the bruises left on Mr. Eid’s wrists and face. |
| “When I heard the princess cry out for help, I arrived, I saw them holding hands, with the telephone,” Mr. Saïdi told the court, adding that he had then grabbed the contractor, according to French news reports at the time. | “When I heard the princess cry out for help, I arrived, I saw them holding hands, with the telephone,” Mr. Saïdi told the court, adding that he had then grabbed the contractor, according to French news reports at the time. |
| “I didn’t know his intentions,” Mr. Saïdi told the court, arguing that he had feared that any pictures would be used in the tabloid press against the princess. | “I didn’t know his intentions,” Mr. Saïdi told the court, arguing that he had feared that any pictures would be used in the tabloid press against the princess. |
| Lawyers for Princess Hassa expressed “indignation” at the verdict and said they would appeal. | Lawyers for Princess Hassa expressed “indignation” at the verdict and said they would appeal. |
| Emmanuel Moyne, a lawyer for Princess Hassa, said that his client had neither witnessed nor ordered any violence and that her conviction “rests solely on the unfounded and even false allegations of the plaintiff.” | |
| Mr. Moyne said in a telephone interview that Mr. Eid would have known that the princess was a private person who did not want pictures taken of her. | Mr. Moyne said in a telephone interview that Mr. Eid would have known that the princess was a private person who did not want pictures taken of her. |
| A lawyer for Mr. Eid was not immediately available for comment after the verdict. | A lawyer for Mr. Eid was not immediately available for comment after the verdict. |
| Yassine Bouzrou, Mr. Saïdi’s lawyer, said that his client had intervened “firmly, but without violence” when he saw the princess scuffling with the contractor. He maintained that Mr. Eid’s account was inaccurate because the extent of the injuries was inconsistent with his description of a violent physical assault. | |
| Mr. Bouzrou said he was “extremely disappointed” by the ruling, but expressed satisfaction that his client had not been sentenced to time in prison. | Mr. Bouzrou said he was “extremely disappointed” by the ruling, but expressed satisfaction that his client had not been sentenced to time in prison. |
| Mr. Bouzrou said they were considering an appeal but had not yet made a decision. | Mr. Bouzrou said they were considering an appeal but had not yet made a decision. |