A member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family was found collapsed on a west London street after taking cocaine while she was responsible for a three-year-old child, a court heard.
Mahrah Al Nahyan, 32, was discovered slumped against railings beside an unconscious man. Nearby, a barefoot child was playing close to a busy road.
Members of the public stepped in to supervise the child until police arrived at the scene.
Al Nahyan reportedly remained unresponsive for around 30 minutes. When she regained consciousness, she allegedly reacted erratically and shouted: “This is not a slaughterhouse, why do you care so much? Why are you so worried?”
She pleaded guilty to one count of child neglect at Southwark Crown Court yesterday.
The court was told that she has been receiving treatment for drug addiction at the Priory centre in Woking, Surrey, following the incident in June.
Footage filmed by an onlooker showed Al Nahyan lying on the pavement beside children’s toys, including a scooter and a toy plane.
She is connected to Abu Dhabi’s ruling family through marriage.
Mahrah Al Nahyan at Southwark Crown Court, where she admitted a count of child neglect
The ruling family is regarded as one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential royal households.
Its fortune is estimated at more than £250 billion, with major influence across international investments and oil reserves.
Prosecutor Rio Pahlavanpour said passersby had “noticed the child was unattended, without shoes on the street with a scooter”, adding that members of the public intervened because the child appeared to be close to moving traffic.
He said that after Al Nahyan was woken, she responded: “This is not a slaughterhouse, why do you care so much? Why are you so worried?”
Police searching Al Nahyan found drug-taking paraphernalia, although no illegal substances were recovered, The Times reported.
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Stephen Vullo KC, defending, told the court that Al Nahyan had stopped using drugs after entering the Priory in July and had shown “significant remorse and resolve to overcome her addiction”.
He said she had not taken drugs on the day of the offence, but was extremely tired after using cocaine in the preceding days.
“The immediate future is she intends to complete all of the steps of a three-month programme which will come to an end at the end of this month,” he said.
“Her plan after that is to rent a property in the Guildford area and become a day patient there, where she will attend Narcotics Anonymous.”
Al Nahyan was found unconscious on the street by concerned members of the public in June
A man was also found nearby, sprawled beside railings and a bin in west London
‘She made a grave mistake that day and she knows it.’
Mr Justice Johnson KC sentenced Al Nahyan to a two-year community order with a rehabilitation requirement.
The judge also fined her £5,000 and ordered her to pay costs of £1,000 after hearing she has an allowance of £8,000 a month.
He said:’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.
‘On one occasion they ran towards the road while chasing a piece of paper until a member of the public contained [the child].
‘But for the intervention of strangers there was a serious risk they would be seriously injured or worse. They could have run away, become lost.
‘They could have been taken or harmed by a stranger and could have become distressed seeing you and your friend unconscious in the street.’
