UK's David Cameron to write to Saudi government over Briton facing lashes

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron will write to the Saudi Arabian government to raise the case of an elderly Briton facing 350 lashes after being caught with homemade wine, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

"This is an extremely concerning case," Cameron's spokeswoman told reporters. "Given the ongoing concerns and the fact we would like to see more progress, the PM is writing today to the Saudis to further raise the case."

Karl Andree, 74, was jailed for 12 months in August last year but remains in prison awaiting further punishment for breaking strict Saudi laws prohibiting alcohol after police found the wine in his car, his family said.

The spokeswoman also announced that a commercial arm of the government's justice department would be withdrawing from a bid to provide prison training services to Saudi Arabia. The two issues were not linked, the spokeswoman said.