Saudi royal aide given 10 years for hotel rape
Source: Agencies |
June 9, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AN Algerian-born businessman with ties to Saudi royalty was sentenced to a decade in prison after being convicted of raping a woman in a plush New York hotel room.
Mustapha Ouanes, who was arrested while staying at the Plaza Hotel as part of a Saudi prince's entourage, didn't speak at his Thursday sentencing, though he presented a raft of letters from supporters and testimony from a cardiologist who said prison was a risk to his health.
The married, 61-year-old Ouanes called the February 2010 encounter a consensual liaison that turned ugly. But prosecutors said he victimized a woman who couldn't fight him off after a night of drinking. Jurors convicted him in February of rape and other charges.
"The defendant sexually assaulted a young woman in a helpless and vulnerable state," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr said in a statement on Thursday.
Ouanes met the woman and a friend in a bar. He invited them to his hotel room for breakfast. Both prosecutors and the defense said Ouanes, a Canadian citizen, was traveling with a prince, but the royal was not identified.
But after a Champagne breakfast, the women got into the bed, clothed, and passed out, according to prosecutors. Ouanes joined them in bed. He said he was trying to sleep, but one of the women said she awoke to find him having sex with her.
Ouanes intends to appeal, his lawyer, Aaron Mysliwiec, said. He could have faced up to 25 years in prison.
Mustapha Ouanes, who was arrested while staying at the Plaza Hotel as part of a Saudi prince's entourage, didn't speak at his Thursday sentencing, though he presented a raft of letters from supporters and testimony from a cardiologist who said prison was a risk to his health.
The married, 61-year-old Ouanes called the February 2010 encounter a consensual liaison that turned ugly. But prosecutors said he victimized a woman who couldn't fight him off after a night of drinking. Jurors convicted him in February of rape and other charges.
"The defendant sexually assaulted a young woman in a helpless and vulnerable state," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr said in a statement on Thursday.
Ouanes met the woman and a friend in a bar. He invited them to his hotel room for breakfast. Both prosecutors and the defense said Ouanes, a Canadian citizen, was traveling with a prince, but the royal was not identified.
But after a Champagne breakfast, the women got into the bed, clothed, and passed out, according to prosecutors. Ouanes joined them in bed. He said he was trying to sleep, but one of the women said she awoke to find him having sex with her.
Ouanes intends to appeal, his lawyer, Aaron Mysliwiec, said. He could have faced up to 25 years in prison.
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