A British man feared for his life after being arrested in Saudi Arabia on charges of homosexuality, it has emerged.
The male nurse, Stephen Comiskey, said he was savagely beaten and tormented with the threat of being decapitated.
He had moved to the socially-strict state in order to work for the King Fahad National Guard Hospital in Riyadh.
According to The Sun newspaper, religious cops lured the 36 year-old into an ambush by posing as friends. They then arrested him under the capital offence of homosexuality.
Saudi Arabia is a Muslim kingdom which operates under Sharia law.
According to reports, he was tricked into signing an Arabic confession – which he could not read – before having his passport confiscated. He then spent the next six months waiting to hear his fate.
He was finally allowed to fly home this week after diplomatic talks, The Sun report.
“You have to understand Sharia law to know what I’ve been through. I’ve learned that you don’t mess with these people - you cannot offend their culture or their law,” he said.
Diplomats believe his arrest was linked to the case of gay Saudi Prince Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud, last year.