Ten years after the murder of Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen (Norway), detectives have today once more urged the man wanted for her death to return to the UK.
Today, Wednesday, 14 March, marks a decade since the murder of 23-year-old Martine, whose partially concealed body was found amongst rubble in the basement of flats in Great Portland Street in 2008.
To mark the anniversary, police have released CCTV footage showing the only suspect in the case, Farouk Abdulhak, with Martine as they both left Maddox nightclub in Mayfair. This footage of Martine captures her out celebrating end of term exams, appearing happy and relaxed in the early hours of 14 March 2008.
Friends reported Martine missing to police on 15 March. The following day officers making enquiries to trace her visited a residential address in Great Portland Street, Westminster, where they discovered her body at approximately 10:30hrs. Attempts had been made to conceal her beneath rubble.
A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as compression to the neck. She had also been raped. An inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court on 24 November 2010 recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.
An investigation was launched by detectives and Farouk Abdulhak identified as a suspect; he had fled the UK to the Yemen within hours of Martine’s disappearance.
Despite extensive efforts and numerous appeals by detectives over the last decade, he continues to refuse to return to the UK.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “A decade on and our ambition remains the same – to obtain justice for Martine. With this CCTV now in the public domain, our hope is that the case will not fade from public attention, keeping the spotlight firmly focused upon Farouk Abdulhak.
Photo:Farouk Abdulhak,Yemen
“Abdulhak fled to another country in the pursuit of continuing with his life and today he remains sheltered and protected in the Yemen. For ten years this person has been avoiding our requests to return to the UK and assist the investigation.
“We have reached an important milestone, therefore this is the right time to once again appeal personally to Abdulhak to return to the UK. He was a guest in our country when the murder of Martine occurred and I believe the responsible thing to do is return. If he thought that this case would diminish, or that his wanted status would change over time, then this year’s anniversary demonstrates our resolve and that of the Magnussen family to continue to seek justice for Martine.”
To mark the anniversary, Martine’s father Petter Magnussen has chosen to be in London, where, in a first for the MPS, he will be reading a live statement at 10:30hrs, to be broadcast across the MPS Facebook and Instagram channels.
He will then pay a visit to Great Portland Street, laying flowers at the place where his daughter was found.
You can watch Petter Magnussen’s statement either through the MPS Facebook or Instagram pages:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/metpoliceuk/videos/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/metpolice_uk
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8358 0300 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Source: metpoliceuk / Norway Today