LONDON, June 28: Standing in the dock at Southwark Crown Court this week was 27-year-old Nasser Al-Gherainiq, a Qatari national convicted of two counts of attempted rape that left his victim “frozen with fear,” in her own words.

Al-Gherainiq, described as a camel herder from a conservative Bedouin tribe in Qatar, had never left his homeland before arriving in London in 2023 for heart treatment at a private clinic linked to the Royal Brompton Hospital. According to his defence, he had little exposure to urban life or modern social norms and was “equivalent to an immature adolescent” who did not understand his victim’s lack of consent, reports Mail Online.

The jury rejected this claim. Al-Gherainiq assaulted a woman inside a toilet cubicle at the medical centre, and the judge said he “knew perfectly well what [he] was doing,” sentencing him to seven years in prison.

The case has raised questions about how he arrived in London and who funded his stay. Official records show that he was temporarily housed at 79 Mount Street in Mayfair — a mansion owned by the State of Qatar and managed by its London embassy. The property, known for hosting exclusive events, occasionally provides emergency accommodation for Qatari nationals abroad.

Qatar’s government offers universal healthcare, including funding overseas treatment when necessary. In 2023, over 50,000 Qataris applied to seek treatment abroad. Al-Gherainiq was among them, initially provided with a daily allowance for lodging. When those arrangements fell through, the embassy placed him at Mount Street.

Following his arrest, the embassy evicted him and stated it had no further contact with him beyond basic consular support.

Al-Gherainiq belongs to the Al Murrah tribe, known for its nomadic traditions and ties to Qatar’s ruling family. He had limited contact with women and almost none outside his family, the court heard. His only close relationship with a woman was with his mother.

However, this background failed to mitigate the gravity of the crime. Judge Adam Hiddleston noted the severe psychological harm inflicted on the victim, who now suffers from anxiety, nightmares, and social withdrawal. “Clearly what you did has had a devastating effect on her,” he told the defendant.

The judge also recommended Al-Gherainiq be deported after serving his sentence. His barrister confirmed that he has no intention of remaining in the UK.

The Qatari Embassy has faced scrutiny before. In 2019, it was the subject of a sexual harassment tribunal brought by Deanne Kingson, a personal assistant who alleged a culture of misogyny and exploitation among senior diplomatic staff. She was awarded nearly £390,000 for unfair dismissal.

Though the embassy distanced itself from Al-Gherainiq’s case, the uncomfortable parallels have stirred renewed criticism of attitudes toward women among some elements of Qatar’s elite, and questions about how a man with such an isolated upbringing came to be living on one of London’s most exclusive streets.