Plea for billionaire's son suspected of murdering woman in 2008 to return to UK
The son of a billionaire suspected of murdering a Norwegian student 17 years ago has been asked to return to the UK as police issued a new photograph of him.
Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was raped and murdered after a night out with friends to celebrate her end-of-term exams at the Maddox nightclub, Mayfair, central London, on March 14 2008.
Farouk Abdulhak was identified as the main suspect but hours after her death he fled the country to Yemen via Egypt.
The Metropolitan Police have appealed for Abdulhak to return to face charges and issued a more recent image of him.
Ms Magnussen's father said in a statement published by the force on Friday: 'For 17 years, justice has been denied as Farouk Abdulhak remains a free man in Yemen.'
Odd Petter Magnussen added: 'On March 8, International Women's Day, I was once again painfully reminded that my daughter, Martine Vik Magnussen was brutally raped and murdered in London in 2008.
'Violence against women and girls is a crisis that affects families worldwide and Martine's case is a stark reminder that justice delayed is justice denied.
'Martine's voice was silenced but we must not be silent for her.'
Her body was found in the basement of a property on Great Portland Street, central London, on March 16 2008 and a post-mortem examination found she had died from compression to her neck.
Abdulhak was friends with Ms Magnussen and had been at the nightclub on March 14.
In 2023 he claimed the incident was a 'sex accident gone wrong'.
In a text message to Nawal Al-Maghafi, BBC News Arabic special correspondent, Abdulhak said he 'could barely piece together what happened'.
When the journalist asked him why, he replied: 'Cocaine.'
Abdulhak told Ms Al-Maghafi 'trust me I'm legally (expletive)' and that this was due to 'leaving the country and the body was moved'.
She asked him if he had thought about handing himself in, and he said lawyers had advised him not to as he would now 'serve the harshest sentence'.
Abdulhak told her it was 'too late'.
His father was the late billionaire Shaher Abdulhak, who was known as the king of sugar because the source of part of his fortune was the soft drinks industry.
An anonymous family member told a Discovery+ documentary aired in 2022 that Abdulhak is leading an isolated life in Yemen.
They said: 'Farouk's entire life is staying at home. There is no socialising. There is no going to public places.
'Nobody comes there. He doesn't really have any friends.'
Ms Magnussen was studying at Regent's Business School and had just come top of her class when she died.
A group of students were on the night out but Ms Magnussen vanished, and her body was found in the basement area of flats where Abdulhak lived.
On Friday, Detective Inspector Jim Barry, leading the investigation from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'Despite Abdulhak's refusal to come to the UK, we are as committed today as we were in 2008 to get justice for Martine.
'We're releasing a more up-to-date image of Farouk Abdulhak and hope that someone can encourage him to do the right thing and hand himself in to UK police.
'My message is directly to Farouk Abdulhak.
'You have been running and hiding for 17 years. You participated in a BBC documentary, providing your explanation as to what happened. It is time to grow up and face your responsibilities to Martine and her family.
'Come to the UK now and explain all to a court and jury. Our pursuit of you will not stop.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gerry Adams's lawyer to pursue chatbots for libel
The high-profile media lawyer who represented Gerry Adams in his libel trial against the BBC is now preparing to sue the world's most powerful AI chatbots for defamation. As one of the most prominent libel lawyers in the UK, Paul Tweed said that artificial intelligence was the 'new battleground' in trying to prevent misinformation about his clients from being spread online. Mr Tweed is turning his attention to tech after he recently helped the former Sinn Fein leader secure a €100,000 (£84,000) payout over a BBC documentary that falsely claimed he sanctioned the murder of a British spy. The Belfast-based solicitor said he was already building a test case against Meta that could trigger a flurry of similar lawsuits, as he claims to have exposed falsehoods shared by chatbots on Facebook and Instagram. It is not the first time tech giants have been sued for defamation over questionable responses spewed out by their chatbots. Robby Starbuck, the US activist known for targeting diversity schemes at major companies, has sued Meta for defamation alleging that its AI chatbot spread a number of false claims about him, including that he took part in the Capitol riots. A Norwegian man also filed a complaint against OpenAI after its ChatGPT software incorrectly stated that he had killed two of his sons and been jailed for 21 years. Mr Tweed, who has represented celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford and Jennifer Lopez, said: 'My pet subject is generative AI and the consequences of them repeating or regurgitating disinformation and misinformation.' He believes statements put out by AI chatbots fall outside the protections afforded to social media companies, which have traditionally seen them avoid liability for libel. If successful, Mr Tweed will expose social media companies that have previously argued they should not be responsible for claims made on their platforms because they are technology companies rather than traditional publishers. Mr Tweed said: 'I've been liaising with a number of well-known legal professors on both sides of the Atlantic and they agree that there's a very strong argument that generative AI will fall outside the legislative protections.' The lawyer said that chatbots are actually creating new content, meaning they should be considered publishers. He said that the decision by many tech giants to move their headquarters to Ireland for lower tax rates had also opened them up to being sued in Dublin's high courts, where libel cases are typically decided by a jury. This setup is often seen as more favourable to claimants, which Mr Tweed himself says has fuelled a wave of 'libel tourism' in Ireland. He also said Dublin's high courts are attractive as a lower price option compared to London, where he said the costs of filing libel claims are 'eye-watering'. He said: 'I think it's absurd now, the level of costs that are being claimed. The libel courts in London are becoming very, very expensive and highly risky now. The moment you issue your claim form, the costs go into the stratosphere. 'It's not in anyone's interest for people to be deprived of access to justice. It will get to the point where nobody sues for libel unless you're a billionaire.' Meta was contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man in 60s dies ‘unexpectedly' in Orpington
A man in his 60s has died unexpectedly in Orpington. Emergency services were called to Knoll Rise in Orpington. A man in his 60s was found unconscious, he was later pronounced dead at the scene. Metropolitan Police has confirmed that his death is being treated as 'unexpected'. A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said: 'At 09:30hrs on Sunday, 08 June, police were called to Knoll Rise, Orpington. 'On arrival, they found a man in his 60s unconscious and despite efforts from officers and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service, he was pronounced dead. 'His death is being treated as unexpected, and file will be prepared for the coroner. "His next-of-kin have been informed."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Two hurt in Dupont Circle Park stabbing
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating after two men were stabbed in Northwest D.C. on Saturday. DC man arrested soon after U Street shooting, police say According to a post by MPD at 7:27 p.m., officers received reports of a stabbing in the area of Dupont Circle Park. There, two men were found suffering from stab wounds. The incident remains under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
