Colo. legal system explained to Saudi king

DENVER, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Colorado's attorney general flew home after meeting with Saudi Arabia's king in Riyadh about a Saudi-born man convicted in Denver of enslaving a woman.

John Suthers went to Riyadh at the request of the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia and the state department to ease the Saudi royal family's concerns about the 20-years-to-life sentence for Homaidan Al-Turki, 37, of Aurora, Colo., The Denver Post reported.

"It was deemed necessary to go over there and defend the good name of Colorado and explain how our criminal system works," Deputy Colorado Attorney General Jason Dunn said.

Suthers met with King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and members of the defendant's family.

Al-Turki was convicted June 30 of forcing a 24-year-old Indonesian woman to cook and clean and take care of his family, including five children, for $2 a day.

The woman slept on a mattress on the basement floor, and Al-Turki eventually intimidated her into sex acts that culminated in her rape in late 2004, prosecutors said.