British woman ‘killed in hotel room by jealous US businessman’
A JEALOUS New York businessman strangled his British girlfriend in a Cardiff hotel room after meeting her on a Muslim dating site, a court heard.
Sammy Almahri, 44, then hung a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign outside the room where Nadine Aburas’s body was later found, jurors were told yesterday.
His murder trial was told the ‘obsessed’ businessman had tried to make her death look like a suicide before he fled abroad.
Prosecutor Roger Thomas said: ‘This was the killing of a defenceless woman by a jealous and dangerous man.’
Almahri met Miss Aburas, 28, on an internet dating site called MuslimMatch.com and they began a torrid two-year romance, the court heard.
The wealthy businessman was said to be ‘besotted’ with the young woman and showered her with money and expensive presents.
But the court heard Miss Aburas – described as a ‘slim, petite lady’ of 5ft 3ins – had flown to see him in New York in 2014 but returned with an injured lip. She later called police to say he had raped her – and claimed he had also tried to strangle her.
And when she started to see other men, Almahri became ‘increasingly jealous’ and began bombarding her with abusive messages. In one, he warned her: ‘You will be in hell.’
He also threatened to show topless pictures of her to her family.
Almahri then travelled from the United States to see Miss Aburas – and booked into the Future Inns hotel near her Cardiff Bay home in December 2014.
He was at her flat when her brother called around and warned him to stay away from his sister. Almahri bought a bottle of gin and returned to the hotel where he asked the receptionist to ring Miss Aburas and tell her he had left his passport and phone in her flat.
She agreed to meet him and they went to a restaurant where witnesses saw them arguing and shouting. Mr Thomas said Miss Aburas was seen on CCTV going back to the hotel, adding: ‘This was the last time she was seen alive.’
At around midnight, Almahri left the hotel alone to walk to a nearby casino where he had three shots of tequila.
When he got back he had two bottles of lager and then left at 3am, leaving a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door. Miss Aburas was found dead nine hours later with her interlocked hands placed across her chest. Cardiff Crown Court heard it appeared her body had been washed and cleaned – with a strong smell of deodorant in the room.
A note found in the room was addressed to Almahri and began ‘Sorry, have come to an end, I love you’ – and was signed ‘Nadine’.
Police soon discovered Almahri had already fled the country on a flight from Heathrow to Qatar.
Jurors were told Almahri later claimed he had had sex with Miss Aburas before she asked him to put his belt around her neck. He said she told him she loved him before hanging herself.
Almahri has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder – claiming he was suffering from ‘abnormality of mental function’ and that he was hearing ‘the voice of God’ telling him to kill Miss Aburas.
The trial continues.
‘The last time she was seen alive’