Billionaire's playboy son who 'raped and murdered socialite student, 23, in London in 2008' now lives an isolated life with 'no socialising and no friends except his guards' after fleeing to Yemen, relative says

  • Farouk Abdulhak is accused of the rape and murder of Martine Vik Magnussen
  • Ms Magnussen was found dead in a Great Portland Street basement in 2008
  • He fled to Yemen in the hours after her death and has not returned to Britain
  • An anonymous family member said he mostly remains at home under guard

The playboy son of a billionaire suspected of raping and murdering a Norwegian student in London now lives an isolated life in Yemen after fleeing the UK, a relative has claimed.

Farouk Abdulhak is accused of the rape and murder of Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, in Mayfair in March 2008.

She was found dead among rubble in a basement in Great Portland Street, Westminster, after a night out with friends to celebrate coming top of the class in her exams. A post-mortem examination found she had been strangled. 

He fled to Yemen via Egypt in the hours after her death and, despite efforts by Martine's family and the UK and Norwegian authorities, has not returned to Britain to face the charges.

An anonymous family member has told a new documentary on Discovery+ that he mostly remains at home under guard and has few friends.

The programme features the first up-to-date picture of him to be published since Martine's death.

Farouk Abdulhak (pictured for the first time in more than 14 years) is accused of the rape and murder of Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, in Mayfair in March 2008

Farouk Abdulhak (pictured for the first time in more than 14 years) is accused of the rape and murder of Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, in Mayfair in March 2008

Ms Magnussen (above) was found dead among rubble in a basement in Great Portland Street, Westminster, central London, after a night out with friends to celebrate coming top of the class in her exams

Ms Magnussen (above) was found dead among rubble in a basement in Great Portland Street, Westminster, central London, after a night out with friends to celebrate coming top of the class in her exams

They said: 'Farouk's entire life is staying at home. There is no socialising. There is no going to public places.

'As a close family member, I've known Farouk his entire life and I talk to him almost every day. Nobody comes there. He doesn't really have any friends.

'He's got, I think, like one guard, sometimes two. That's basically his friends.

'Everything is brought into the house. Delivered or picked up. But he's got a patio. It's mostly just a place to get a little bit of sun and air.

'Other than that, he's got his computer and his movies. He spends his life on the internet.

'His life was over after that night, obviously. I think the longer he stays there you just develop that alternative reality. "Maybe if I just wait this out, time will take care of it".'

Farouk Abdulhak is the son of the late billionaire Shaher Abdulhak, who was known as the king of sugar because the source of part of his fortune was soft drinks.

He was friends with Martine, who was studying at Regent's Business School and had just come top of her class when she died.

A group of students were out celebrating finishing their end-of-term exams at the Maddox nightclub in Mayfair on March 14, 2008, but Ms Magnussen vanished and her body was found two days later in the basement area of flats where Farouk Abdulhak lived.

He fled to Yemen via Egypt in the hours after her death and despite efforts by Martine's family and the UK and Norwegian authorities has not returned to Britain to face the charges

He fled to Yemen via Egypt in the hours after her death and despite efforts by Martine's family and the UK and Norwegian authorities has not returned to Britain to face the charges

Her flatmate Thale Marie Lassen told the documentary that he had tried to kiss Martine in the weeks before her death, but she had rebuffed him and said they could be friends.

She said: 'We teased her about Farouk, saying he was really into her. But she was really good at friend-zoning guys pretty quickly.

'He tried to kiss her once. It happened a few weeks prior to the murder.

'She rejected him, saying they could be friends and hang out, but that was it.'

Martine's father, Odd Petter Magnussen, told the programme that he will 'keep fighting' to get Farouk Abdulhak back to the UK to face the allegations.

He said: 'The worst thing to me was Martine's funeral. To see my two poor children stand there and lay sand on the urn, that was almost too much to bear.

'And that's why the suspect at least, at least, will go back to England and give an account.

'Anything else is utterly unacceptable. I will not stand for it and I will not let it happen.'

The five part documentary Martine: Chasing Justice is available to stream on Discovery+.

Timeline of Martine Vik Magnussen's murder and her devastated family's fight for justice

March 14, 2008 - Student is seen leaving exclusive Mayfair nightclub Maddox with her fellow Regent's Business School student Farouk Abdulhak at 2am. 

15 - Police launch an investigation after friends report her missing. 

16 - Abdulhak flees the UK, allegedly on his father's private jet. On the same day, officers making enquiries to trace Ms Magnussen visited the residential block where Abdulhak lived on Great Portland Street in Westminster, where they discovered her body at about 10.30am.   

24 - Abdulhak, now abroad having been named as being wanted for questioning, breaks his silence to insist - through his lawyer - 'I'm not a murderer'. 

June 10, 2010 - Her father, Odd Petter Magnussen, plants a tree in his daughter's memory at a remembrance event at Regent's College. 

November 24 -  An inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court concludes Ms Magnussen was strangled and records a verdict of unlawful killing. 

2010 (exact date unclear) -  Mr Magnussen writes to the Queen as part of his continued campaign to secure Abdulhak's return to the UK.

The Queen, in a letter written by a private secretary, replies: 'Her Majesty was deeply sorry to read of the terrible loss that you and your family have suffered, and the continuing distress caused by the fact that your daughter's killer remains at liberty. She has asked me to convey her sincere condolences to you and your family.'

Ministers are unable to secure Abdulhak's extradition from Yemen, which does not have an extradition treaty with the UK. 

2017 -  Tobias Ellwood MP takes up the case during his time as Minister for the Middle East and Africa, telling Mr Magnussen the government has an 'unwavering commitment' to achieving justice. 

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