Saudi Officer Sentenced In France To 10 Years For 2021 Rape

Saudi Officer Sentenced In France To 10 Years For 2021 Rape

A French court on Friday sentenced Saudi navy officer Meshari Al Shamrani to 10 years in prison for the rape of a young woman in 2021.

Al Shamrani, who was 24 at the time, was tried in absentia after failing to comply with judicial supervision earlier this year.

He had initially been released pending trial but stopped reporting to police in January, prompting French authorities to issue a European arrest warrant.

The officer had been studying at an engineering school in the western city of Brest as part of a Saudi-French cooperation program.

Prosecutors described him as an academically gifted and disciplined student, but noted that he also led a double life outside the classroom.

Chief prosecutor Elsa Guyonvarch told the court that Al Shamrani discovered in France “a freedom, a moral permissiveness that was unknown to him.” 

She said this culture shock may have influenced his behaviour but stressed it did not excuse his crime.

Married in Saudi Arabia in 2020, Al Shamrani was also in a relationship with a girlfriend in Brest.

According to testimony, he frequently hosted parties marked by heavy drinking.

One such evening in 2021 led to the assault. A 22-year-old woman, unable to return home after the party, stayed the night.

She later told investigators she woke up to find Al Shamrani raping her. She managed to fight him off, escape, and alert the police.

“He completely omitted to seek her consent,” said the prosecutor, who had asked for eight years of prison for the accused.

DNA evidence and medical examinations confirmed her account.

The victim told the court the attack continues to haunt her years later.

“I was devastated, I cried all the time and didn’t want to go out,” she said.

Al Shamrani at first denied the allegation, but later admitted to what had happened, claiming he believed the woman “wanted to make love because she took her trousers off.”

Despite the conviction and prison sentence, Al Shamrani remains at large.

French authorities have issued a European arrest warrant but so far have been unable to locate him.