A member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family has been sentenced to a two-year community order and fined £6,114 after pleading guilty to child neglect. The case stems from an incident on June 13 in west London, where the 32-year-old royal was found unconscious near a busy road while a young child in her care played barefoot nearby.
Mahrah Al Nahyan, who is connected to the Emirati ruling family through marriage, appeared at Southwark Crown Court to face the charges. Prosecutor Rio Pahlavanpour detailed how members of the public intervened after noticing the three-year-old child unattended, shoeless, and playing with a scooter perilously close to moving traffic.
Passers-by Intervened to Protect the Toddler
Witnesses at the scene discovered Al Nahyan slumped against metal railings alongside an unconscious man. The court heard that the toddler even chased a piece of paper toward the active road before quick-thinking bystanders stepped in to protect the youngster.
Police officers arrived shortly after and found Al Nahyan unresponsive for approximately 30 minutes. Authorities recovered drug paraphernalia from her belongings, though no illegal substances were found. Upon regaining consciousness, Al Nahyan reportedly shouted erratic statements at the police, asking why they were worried.
Mr Justice Johnson KC strongly condemned her actions during sentencing, emphasizing the profound danger the child faced.
By leaving [the child] to play barefoot in the street while under the influence of drugs, you showed a recklessness and disregard for [the child’s] safety, said Mr Justice Johnson. But for the intervention of strangers there was a serious risk they would be seriously injured or worse.
Defence Highlights Ongoing Addiction Treatment
Representing the defendant, defence counsel Stephen Vullo KC told the court that Al Nahyan had not consumed drugs on the exact day of the incident. Instead, she was suffering from severe exhaustion following substance use in the preceding days. Vullo stated that his client showed significant remorse and recognized that she had made a grave mistake.
The court heard that Al Nahyan, who receives an £8,000 monthly allowance, entered the Priory clinic in Woking, Surrey, for residential drug rehabilitation in July. Her legal team noted that she has remained drug-free since beginning the program. She now intends to transition to day-patient treatment near Guildford while continuing to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
In addition to the two-year community order, which includes a mandatory rehabilitation requirement, Al Nahyan was ordered to pay £5,000 in fines and £1,000 in prosecution costs, resulting in a total financial penalty of £6,114.
