Police issue message to billionaire's murder-accused son: ‘Time to grow up'

Independent

17-03-2025

The Metropolitan Police has issued a direct message to the son of a billionaire suspected of murdering a Norwegian student 17 years ago.
On March 14, 2008, 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.
Her body was found in the basement of a property on Great Portland Street, two days later, and a post-mortem examination found she had died from compression to her neck.
Farouk Abdulhak was identified as the main suspect but hours after her death he fled the country to Yemen.
Almost two decades on, police have appealed for Abdulhak to return to face charges.
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.
'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.'
Ms Magnussen's father Peter said in a statement published by the force last Friday: 'For 17 years, justice has been denied as Farouk Abdulhak remains a free man in Yemen.'
'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.'
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'.
During an initial phone call conversation with Ms Al-Maghafi, Abdulhak said he does not know what answers Ms Magnussen's family want to hear.
When asked about the possibility of coming back, Abdulhak responded: 'It's too cold there. I don't like the weather.'
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.