Emirati Royal Sentenced for Child Neglect After Cocaine Binge in London
Mahrah Al Nahyan admitted to child neglect after being found unconscious on a street with a three-year-old child.
Mahrah Al Nahyan, 32, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family by marriage, has been sentenced for child neglect after being found collapsed on a west London street with a three-year-old child in her care. The incident occurred in June, when passersby discovered Al Nahyan unresponsive for approximately 30 minutes while a barefoot toddler played nearby. The child was reportedly unattended and without shoes, close to moving traffic.
When Al Nahyan awoke, she responded erratically to those who intervened. She later admitted to one charge of child neglect at Southwark Crown Court. According to reports, police found drug paraphernalia but no illicit substances when they searched her. Al Nahyan stated that she had been taking cocaine in the days leading up to the incident.
The court heard that Al Nahyan has been undergoing drug addiction treatment at the Priory centre in Woking, Surrey, since the incident. Her defense counsel stated that she has ceased drug use since entering the treatment facility in July and expressed significant remorse. He added that while she had not taken drugs on the day of the offense, she was tired from prior cocaine use.
Her plan following the completion of a three-month program is to continue treatment as an outpatient and attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings. The defense emphasized that she made a grave mistake and is aware of it.
Mr. Justice Johnson KC sentenced Al Nahyan to a two-year community order with a rehabilitation requirement. She was also fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs. The judge noted that her monthly allowance is £8,000. He highlighted the recklessness and disregard for the child's safety shown by leaving the child to play barefoot in the street while under the influence of drugs. The judge stated that but for the intervention of strangers, the child faced serious risks, including injury, becoming lost, being harmed by a stranger, or distress from seeing Al Nahyan and another individual unconscious.
Al Nahyan is connected to the ruling royal family of Abu Dhabi, which is estimated to be worth over £250 billion. She was found near an unconscious man on a street in west London.