This is awful

[Simster]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34513096

but everyone knows what Saudi is like. Why on earth would you drink wine in such a vile country knowing the potential punishment?

 

[dazzer6666]

No real sympathy I'm afraid (although I don't agree with the regime). If you are in their country you follow their rules. No way he wouldn't have known the risks.

 

[daveinprague]

Its very easy to drink in Saudi. Theres expat parties almost every Thursday. Ive even been to an open air disco with every booze known to man at B.A.C back in the 70s, There was also cartoon porn (snow white) on a wall. Its pretty unusual to be picked up for it unless your a producer. If this guy is transporting wine, then he is probably a producer.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

It also warns of Saudi laws against women driving, adultery, homosexuality and drug smuggling - with the last punishable by death.

Sigh....

 

[Hillian1]

Well he'd lived there for 25 years, so you've got to assume he knows the law regarding booze.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Or this Indian servant in a Saudi household who had her arm chopped off as a punishment...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-34483504

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

No real sympathy I'm afraid (although I don't agree with the regime). If you are in their country you follow their rules. No way he wouldn't have known the risks.

Completely agree. He may or may not have been a producer and may or may not have done it many times yet he knew the law

I have no idea why this is in the news. If someone came to England and broke a law that there wasn't in their country then people would be up in arms for people to accept our laws. We can't have it both ways

 

[spring hall convert]

I wouldn't go expecting any support from the Government. Cameron thinks that Saudi Arabia are worth a place on the UN Human Rights Council.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/oct/06/david-cameron-insists-uk-ties-saudi-arabia

 

[blue'n'white]

They're as backward as all the other strict islamic states but they're richer than a lot and we sell them lots of arms so eff all will get done by our brave government.
And as someone has said earlier the guy has been living there for 25 years and knows what their laws are - it's just a shame that we don't apply the same strict letter of the law to wrongdoers from abroad in the UK

 

[Bold Seagull]

Completely agree. He may or may not have been a producer and may or may not have done it many times yet he knew the law

I have no idea why this is in the news. If someone came to England and broke a law that there wasn't in their country then people would be up in arms for people to accept our laws. We can't have it both ways

It's the law, but it doesn't mean we have to agree with the brutality of the punishment does it? Crikey, do we just watch them crucify teenagers, chop peoples hands off, lash a 70 year old and just stand back and say 'oh well, they knew the law...'.

Unbelievable we support these regime's with such poor human rights records, and even support them on the UN Human Rights Council!

 

[gregbrighton]

No sympathy from me either. At least he didn't get his hands chopped off.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34513096

but everyone knows what Saudi is like. Why on earth would you drink wine in such a vile country knowing the potential punishment?

It begs the question, why would you choose to live in such a vile country at his age?

 

[El Presidente]

Sadly our government (and the past few as well, this is not a party political issue) will take no notice of such events, and will aim to keep secret the £300 million bribes given to Saudi officials in order to secure defence contracts.

http://on.ft.com/1gSEs52

If that's the way they want to play it we can't do much to stop them. The stench of hyprocrisy from politicians when talking about FIFA being embedded in corruption is pretty whiffy though.

 

[La` Cucaracha¤]

Now this Saudi Bootlegger Scottish Gordon Mallock took it to the extreme till his got caught

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[Billy the Fish]

I find it very odd the amount of people who claim to have no sympathy when someone is about to receive a ridiculously over the top punishment.

Strangely, it's quite often the same people who preach about helping the needy and not cutting benefits on the domestic politics threads who blindly take a "don't do the crime..." type stance

Yes the bloke is clearly an idiot, but f**k me I feel sorry for the poor bugger having to do over a year inside and now face the potential to be tortured! (and it is torture)

I doubt it'll end up happening though, it's against their own rules to do it so the lashes will be dropped.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Luckily, we've got a principled leader who is prepared to stand up for basic human decency.

http://www.mintpressnews.com/watch-...o-explain-his-support-of-saudi-arabia/210221/

 

[Easy 10]

Utterly horrific, barbaric, backward regime still living in the 5th century. Most educated human beings evolve and develop a natural sense of decency and compassion for their fellow man, for their citizens. No nation can preach to be perfect, but the sheer scale of the brutality there, with public floggings, maimings and executions for the most minor offences truly stands out as something from another age. Repulsive.

 

[Biscuit]

The ''No sympathy" brigade are out in full force I see.

If you can see an old man lashed 360 times for making wine, or shrug your shoulders as ''domestic help'' (read: modern day slave) gets an armed chopped off and have 'no sympathy' then you're a heartless *******.

Yes it's the law, but that doesn't make it right.

 

[gregbrighton]

What's his age got to do with it? He broke the law there and has paid the price.

A bishop in this country just got a derisory prison term sentence for child sexual abuse offences presumably because of his old age...

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Utterly horrific, barbaric, backward regime still living in the 5th century. Most educated human beings evolve and develop a natural sense of decency and compassion for their fellow man, for their citizens. No nation can preach to be perfect, but the sheer scale of the brutality there, with public floggings, maimings and executions for the most minor offences truly stands out as something from another age. Repulsive.

It makes you wonder why successive UK governments have counted the oil-rich *******s as allies.