A member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family has been sentenced in the UK after leaving a three-year-old child barefoot and unattended beside a busy London road while she was unresponsive following drug use. Mahrah Al Nahyan, 32, pleaded guilty to one charge of child neglect at Southwark Crown Court over the incident in June.
Members of the public intervened after noticing the young child near moving traffic, while Al Nahyan remained unresponsive for around 30 minutes, according to evidence presented in court. The child was playing near a scooter and other toys on the pavement when passersby stepped in to help.
Footage released by the Crown Prosecution Service showed Al Nahyan lying against railings beside the child’s belongings. Prosecutor Rio Pahlavanpour told the court that a passerby noticed the child was alone, had no shoes on and was close to traffic.
Police subsequently attended the scene. Officers found drug paraphernalia in Al Nahyan’s bags, although they did not find any illicit substances, the court heard.
The case raised concerns about the risks faced by the child while the adult responsible for their care was incapacitated. The judge said the child had approached the road on one occasion while chasing a piece of paper, and a member of the public had to intervene.
Passersby stepped in to protect the child
According to the prosecution, members of the public noticed the child’s vulnerability and took steps to keep the youngster safe until police arrived. The child was barefoot and had access to the pavement near a busy road, creating the possibility of running into traffic or moving away from the scene.
Al Nahyan remained unresponsive for about half an hour. When she regained consciousness, she shouted at those around her: “This is not a slaughterhouse, why do you care so much? Why are you so worried?”
The court heard that the child could have suffered serious harm without the intervention of strangers. In sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Johnson KC described the situation as reckless and said Al Nahyan had shown disregard for the child’s safety by leaving them to play barefoot in the street while she was under the influence of drugs.
The judge outlined several possible dangers, including the child running into the road, becoming lost, being taken or harmed by a stranger, or becoming distressed after seeing the adults nearby unconscious.
The prosecution evidence focused on the circumstances in which the child was found and the actions of those who stepped in. The court’s account made clear that the risk was not merely hypothetical: the child had already moved towards the road while chasing a piece of paper.
The case also demonstrated the role bystanders can play when a young child appears to be in immediate danger. Their intervention helped prevent the situation from escalating before emergency services arrived.
Court hears about addiction treatment
The court was told that Al Nahyan had been receiving treatment for drug addiction at the Priory centre since the June incident. Her defence argued that she had shown remorse and a determination to address her substance use.
Stephen Vullo KC, defending, said she had demonstrated “significant remorse and resolve to overcome her addiction”. He told the court that she recognised the seriousness of her actions.
“She made a grave mistake that day and she knows it,” he said.
The defence’s submissions placed her treatment and efforts to address her addiction before the court as it considered the appropriate sentence. The judge nevertheless stressed the danger the child had faced and the seriousness of leaving a young child without proper care while incapacitated.
The available court account does not provide further detail about the child’s identity, the child’s relationship to Al Nahyan or the long-term arrangements made for the child following the incident. Those details should not be assumed from the sentencing report.
Drug addiction treatment can form part of a rehabilitation process, but the court’s sentence also addressed the conduct that brought the case before it. Al Nahyan received a community order with a rehabilitation requirement rather than an immediate prison sentence.
Sentence includes rehabilitation and financial penalties
Al Nahyan was sentenced to a two-year community order that includes a rehabilitation requirement. The court also fined her £5,000 and ordered her to pay £1,000 in prosecution costs.
The sentence requires her to comply with the conditions of the community order, including the rehabilitation element. The court’s decision followed her guilty plea and the information presented about the incident, the danger to the child and her subsequent treatment.
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Johnson KC said Al Nahyan had acted recklessly by allowing the child to play barefoot in the street while she was under the influence of drugs. He emphasised that the intervention of members of the public had prevented the child from facing potentially severe consequences.
The judge’s comments addressed the practical dangers of the scene described in court. A three-year-old child near moving traffic may not recognise the risks posed by the road, while an unconscious or incapacitated caregiver cannot respond if the child wanders away or moves into danger.
The prosecution’s account also showed how quickly the situation could have deteriorated. The child chased a piece of paper towards the road before a passerby intervened. The judge said the child could have been seriously injured or worse if strangers had not stepped in.
Al Nahyan’s connection to Abu Dhabi’s ruling family
Al Nahyan is connected by marriage to Abu Dhabi’s ruling royal family, one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the United Arab Emirates. The family’s wealth has been estimated at more than £250 billion, according to the report.
The court was also told that Al Nahyan receives a monthly allowance of £8,000. However, the financial details did not change the central issue before the court: the risk to the child during the June incident.
The case concerned an individual’s guilty plea to child neglect and the circumstances in which the child was found. Her connection to a wealthy royal family attracted attention, but the court’s sentencing remarks focused on the child’s safety, the danger posed by the situation and the need for rehabilitation.
The Crown Prosecution Service released footage showing Al Nahyan on the pavement beside children’s toys, including a scooter and a toy plane. The images formed part of the reporting on the case and illustrated the circumstances described by the prosecution.
Child safety remained central to the judge’s remarks
The court’s account detailed several risks the child faced while Al Nahyan was unresponsive. Beyond the immediate danger of traffic, the judge said the child could have become lost, been taken or harmed by a stranger, or experienced distress at seeing the adults unconscious.
Those concerns formed the basis of the judge’s criticism of her conduct. A young child depends on an adult to provide supervision, recognise hazards and intervene when danger arises. In this case, members of the public took on that immediate protective role until police arrived.
The court did not need to establish that the child had suffered a physical injury to consider the seriousness of the neglect. The circumstances described in evidence showed that the child was exposed to risks that could have resulted in serious harm.
Al Nahyan’s guilty plea resolved the charge of child neglect before the court. Her treatment for addiction and the defence’s account of her remorse were also presented during the sentencing process, while the judge made clear that her actions had placed the child in danger.
The sentence combines a community-based penalty with a rehabilitation requirement and financial sanctions. It reflects the court’s response to the offence while requiring Al Nahyan to engage with the conditions imposed.
The case serves as a reminder of the responsibility adults have to protect young children from immediate hazards, particularly when substance use leaves a caregiver unable to supervise them. Members of the public who encounter a child apparently alone or in danger should contact emergency services and take reasonable steps to keep the child safe.