A frail British grandfather is facing 350 lashes in Saudi Arabia for making his own wine.The family of Karl Andree, 74, are appealing to David Cameron to intervene after police found bottles of the wine in his car.
Mr Andree, who has had cancer three times and suffers from asthma, was arrested in Jeddah last year and is being held in a notorious prison. ‘Our father has given 25 years of his working life to Saudi Arabia, and this is how he is treated,’ his son Simon, 33, told the Sun. ‘Until his arrest, he has always been happy working there and felt safe.
‘He is 74, has had cancer three times and his wife is dying in a home in the UK. He now needs medical care for his cancer and asthma, and there is no doubt in our mind that 350 lashes will kill him.
‘We implore David Cameron to personally intervene and help get our father home.’
Simon, along with Mr Andree’s other children Hugh, 46, and Kirsten Piroth, 45, has been lobbying the Saudi government for more than a month. So far their pleas have gone unnoticed in the alcohol-free kingdom.
Mrs Piroth said: ‘My dad broke the rules in a country that does not allow alcohol but he has now served his time. He was sentenced to 12 months, 14 months ago.
‘He is not a well man, I worry for his health and that he won’t survive this ordeal.
‘My six year-old daughter worries about him every day and asks me all the time if “Grandpops” is out of jail yet.’
A Foreign Office spokesman said that: ‘Our embassy staff are continuing to assist Mr Andree, including regular visits to check on his welfare, and frequent contact with his lawyer and family.
‘Ministers and senior officials have raised Mr Andree’s case with the Saudi government and we are ACTIVELY seeking his release as soon as possible.’
The family are hoping he will be saved on compassionate grounds.
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