Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was raped by her boyfriend and killed in 2008. Her body was discovered in a London basement, covered with garbage and debris. Her Yemeni killer managed to elude police and avoid addressing his guilt until slipping up recently in an interview with the BBC.
Farouk Abdulhak was the playboy child of an Arab billionaire and fled the United Kingdom to Yemen. He admitted to the murder of the student.
Abdulhak admitted guilt but has stated that he does not intend to return to the U.K. for trial. This is partly because he doesn’t like the weather.
Magnussen, a Norwegian student was last seen alive in March 2008. Magnussen, a Norwegian student, had been out celebrating her success at Regent’s Business School. She was reported by the Guardian that she was seen in a taxi with Farouk Abdulhak (a fellow student) between 2 and 3 a.m.
Police have released video of the last moments of murdered student Martine Vik Magnussen with suspect Farouk Abdulhak in Mayfair in 2008 [1/2] pic.twitter.com/eICQ4qaS6S
— TalkTV (@TalkTV) March 14, 2018
One of the victim’s friends suggested that the victim and her killer had a platonic connection and that she had rebuked her in an earlier instance when he attempted to kiss her.
Magnussen’s friends later reported that Abdulhak became angry when anyone tried to take a photo of him and his future victim that night, according to the BBC.
Police found her naked body in the basement of a London flat where the unrepentant, rapist lived two days later. Abdulhak had apparently made a “token effort” to hide Magnussen’s body.
Magnussen’s body was noted by The Guardian as showing signs that she had fought a hard fight against her rapist. She had 43 cuts and grazes. “Many of them typical for assault-type injuries or those sustained in a fight.”
Abdulhak deleted his Facebook profile, and he boarded the March 14 flight to Cairo. He is a Yemeni national and he returned to Yemen on the private plane of his father.
Shaher Abdulhak, the founder of Shaher Trading, was the father of the rapist. According to the Daily Mail, Shaher was diagnosed with cancer in 2020. His net worth was $8.4 billion at that time.
Abdulhak was Scotland Yard’s main suspect, but his powerful family protected him. Yemen does not have an extradition treaty, so British officials were unable to bring him back to the UK to face justice.
The victim’s father made additional efforts to press the British government to leverage its influence over the Islamic-terrorist terrorist haven to compel Abdulhak’s extradition. However, these efforts proved futile.
Abdulhak had previously refused interviews from Western journalists, but he agreed to speak with Nawal Al-Maghafi, a BBC News Arabic special correspondent — a fellow Yemeni.
Al-Maghafi was told by the rapper, ten days into a series of text exchanges, that he had made a mistake when he was younger.
Al-Maghafi recognized that he was a journalist and expressed concern over the rapist speaking with her. However, he continued his admission by writing: “I deeply regret this unfortunate accident that occurred.” 2 regretted coming to Yemen [to Yemen] and should have stayed and paid for the piper.
“It’s all blurred,” said the rapper, noting that he still has flashbacks to the murder and that certain perfumes make him feel uncomfortable.
Al-Maghafi asked Abdulhak if he would return to face the penalties for Magnussen’s murder and rape. Abdulhak replied, “I don’t think justice will ever be served.” … The UK’s criminal justice system is biased, according to me. They will try to make me look like an Arab son or a rich son. It’s too late.
Abdulhak, who had moved the body out of the country, said that he is now legally [expletive].
Another time, Abdulhak and Magnussen were discussing Abdulhak’s crimes. The rapist described Magnussen’s passing as “just an accident.” There was nothing criminal. It was a sex accident that went wrong.
He claimed that he was on cocaine on the evening of March 14th.
Odd Petter Magnussen was shocked to learn that Al-Maghafi had written to Abdulhak.
This interview confirmed Odd Petter’s suspicions regarding Abdulhak’s character but also provided hope.
“I believe we may have a longer-term solution… because we can speak to him. I am more convinced than ever that this case will be solved. Odd Petter added, “I just hope it will be on…my ethical terms.”
Magnussen’s father had previously stressed that Abdulhak was a coward, but could not hide forever.
The Metropolitan Police maintains that they will do all in their power to get [Abdulhak] back to the UK for trial.
