Los Angeles: Los Angeles County prosecutors said on Monday they will not file charges against a Saudi arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at a compound on the edge of Beverly Hills, citing insufficient evidence.
The man, 29, was arrested last month after a female worker accused him of trying to force her to perform a sex act on him inside a Beverly Glen residence he was renting, police said. Police alleged there were multiple victims, and within days of his arrest three women sued him in civil court.
Although prosecutors said there was not enough evidence for felony charges, the case was referred to the LA city attorney’s office, which could charge him with a misdemeanour. Officials in that office said they would have to review the case before making any decisions.
The Saudi has said he was innocent, his attorney Alan Jackson said.
“The allegations against him are false,” Jackson said. “The decision by the DA’s office not to file charges shows that the accuser’s stories cannot be substantiated. [He] is very happy to put it behind him and move on with his life.”
The Saudi has remained in Southern California, free on $300,000 (Dh1.1 million) bail, since his arrest on September 23, Jackson said. A court appearance scheduled for Monday did not occur because he wasn’t charged, officials said.
A civil lawsuit filed in LA County Superior Court on September 25 says he attacked other women inside the home for several days.
The suit, filed by three women identified only as Jane Does, accuses him of “extreme”, “outrageous” and “despicable” behaviour that ended in his arrest.
The women remain undeterred despite Monday’s announcement, their attorney, Van Frish, said.
“Generally, if someone doesn’t do something wrong, they don’t get arrested,” he said. “Just the simple human aspect of it, he could’ve apologised ... for doing what he did.”
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and says that the Saudi inflicted emotional distress, assault and battery, sexual discrimination and retaliation against the workers.
The man was detained by police for hours last month after a reported disturbance inside the compound, police said. After police interviewed other people inside the residence, they arrested him on suspicion of forcing oral copulation.
When officers arrived at the home, they found a “party atmosphere”, LAPD Lt John Jenal said last month.
Neighbours reported seeing a bleeding woman screaming for help as she tried to scale an 8-foot-high wall that surrounds the property at the end of a cul-de-sac in the 2500 block of Wallingford Drive.
The home is in a gated community just outside Beverly Hills.
