A French court has handed Saudi Princess Hassa bint Salman a 10-month suspended sentence over the abuse and kidnap of a Parisien plumber.
ADVERTISEMENTA French court has handed a 10-month suspended prison sentence to Saudi Princess Hassa bint Salman for her involvement in the beating and brief kidnapping of a plumber in Paris.
The 43-year-old daughter of Saudi King Salman was found to be complicit in the beating of Egyptian-born Ashraf Eid, who was helping renovate her luxury residence in Paris in September 2016.
According to Eid, the princess' bodyguard had bound his hands and beat him, before forcing him to kiss Hassa's feet after she accused him trying to take photos of her.
He told investigators that the princess had said to him: "You’ll see how you speak to a princess, how you speak to the royal family", and that his phone was stolen.
Princess Hassa has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, with her lawyer further rejecting Eid's version of events on Thursday as "fanciful".
He said: "There was no theft and moreover there was no violence. All the investigators' findings, the medical certificates demonstrate that the accusations made by Mr Eid are fanciful."
They plan to appeal the court's decision. Princess Hassa was not in court when the sentence was given.