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Martine Vik Magnussen murder suspect 'could be tried in Yemen'
Justin Davenport, Crime Editor10 Feb 2010
The father of murdered Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen today revealed that British officials have discussed allowing the prime suspect for his daughter's killing to stand trial in Yemen.
Odd Petter Magnussen told how he had met Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant to insist any suspect for the murder be tried in Britain.
Scotland Yard has named Farooq Abdulhak, 27, the son of an Arab billionaire, as the only person they wish to question. The playboy fled to his native Yemen days after the killing in London in March 2008.
The body of the 23-year-old economics student was found dumped in the basement of a West End apartment rented by Mr Abdulhak. Today, a pre-inquest hearing at Westminster coroner's court heard how the student had been strangled.
Mr Magnussen, an information consultant, told the Standard that he was still hopeful of a London trial and that Yemen may agree to a voluntary extradition after political pressure following the alleged attempted bombing of a US airliner on Christmas Day.
He said: "I wanted to stress that the case should be held in Britain in the scene of the crime. That is the family wish. It is the only place where there can be an ethical and thorough trial."
He revealed how there had been discussions between the British and Yemeni authorities about the possibility of holding the trial in Yemen. There is no extradition treaty with the Middle Eastern country and, so far, the Yemeni government has refused requests to extradite the suspect.
Mr Magnussen said he believed pressure from the British and US governments following the recent attempted airline bombing over the States could lead to a breakthrough in the case.
He said: "What I am trying to achieve is justice for my daughter, but also to establish a new way of handling cases where there are problems because of a lack of extradition treaties.
"We hope that, with the new political situation following the Delta Airlines incident, that Yemen will see it is in their interest to agree to a voluntary extradition. I am hopeful that I will see a trial of my daughter's killer in London."
Detective Chief Inspector Jessica Wadsworth, who is leading the inquiry, told the court that the police investigation was complete.
She added: "Farooq Abdulhak is now wanted for the murder and rape of Martine and there is a European warrant for his arrest."
She added: "We believe that Mr Abdulhak has been in Yemen since the crime and is still residing there. All efforts to get him to return to the UK to stand trial have been unsuccessful."
During the pre-inquest hearing, coroner Dr Paul Knapman said he hoped to go ahead with a full inquest before any trial had taken place.
