Emirati royal Mahrah Al Nahyan was found unconscious on a London street. Photo: The Times
A 32-year-old Emirati royal and member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family was found passed out on a London street after a cocaine binge, while a barefoot three-year-old child in her care played near a busy road, The Times of London reported.
Mahrah Al Nahyan was found slumped against railings in west London on June 13, next to an unconscious man. Members of the public intervened after noticing the unattended child near moving traffic and alerted the police.
Al Nahyan remained unresponsive for around 30 minutes after officers arrived. When she regained consciousness, she reportedly reacted erratically, shouting: “This is not a slaughterhouse, why do you care so much? Why are you so worried?”
She admitted one charge of child neglect at Southwark Crown Court. The court heard that she had taken cocaine in the days before the incident and had been receiving treatment for drug addiction at the Priory centre in Woking, Surrey, since July.
A video circulating on social media shows Al Nahyan alongside suitcases, bags and other personal belongings outside a property.
Prosecutor Rio Pahlavanpour told the court that passersby noticed the child was unattended and barefoot, with a scooter, close to moving traffic.
The toddler also ran towards the road while chasing a piece of paper before a member of the public intervened, the court heard.
Police searched Al Nahyan’s belongings and found drug paraphernalia, but no illicit substances were recovered.
Defence barrister Stephen Vullo KC told the court that Al Nahyan had not taken drugs on the day of the incident but was exhausted after using cocaine in the preceding days.
He said she had stopped using drugs since entering treatment and had shown “significant remorse and resolve to overcome her addiction”.
Vullo said Al Nahyan intended to complete a three-month rehabilitation programme before moving to the Guildford area, where she planned to continue treatment as a day patient and attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
“She made a grave mistake that day and she knows it,” he told the court.
Justice Johnson KC sentenced Al Nahyan to a two-year community order with a rehabilitation requirement. He also fined her 5,000 pounds and ordered her to pay 1,000 pounds in prosecution costs.
The court heard that she receives a monthly allowance of 8,000 pounds.
The judge said Al Nahyan had shown “a recklessness and disregard for the child’s safety” by leaving the toddler barefoot on the street while under the influence of drugs.
He warned that without the intervention of members of the public, the toddler could have suffered serious harm, become lost or been harmed by a stranger.
The Times reported that the judge also highlighted the risk of the child becoming distressed after seeing Al Nahyan and her companion unconscious on the street.
This post was last modified on October 15, 2026 2:07 pm