A NESTON man who won the right to sue Saudi Arabia after he was tortured claims he has been sacrificed by the UK Government.

Les Walker, 60, spoke after it emerged that the Government will support the Saudi authorities when the torture case gets to the House of Lords.

Mr Walker, and two other alleged victims, Sandy Mitchell and William Sampson, won the right to sue Saudi Arabia for damages after a Court of Appeal ruling in 2004.

The Saudis are appealing the case to the House of Lords this week in a final attempt to block the claims on the grounds that its officials are protected by state immunity.

It has now emerged the Government will intervene in support of the Saudis.

But the men say they are being sacrificed so the UK can clinch a £40bn deal to supply the Saudi military with Typhoon jets.

Mr Walker and five other men were arrested in Riyadh in 2000 for an alleged car bombing which killed a fellow Brit.

During three years in jail the men were allegedly tortured into making video-taped confessions.

Mr Walker said: 'Why should our Government support a regime which uses torture?

'It's about money, the Government is sacrificing us because of business deals with the Saudis.

'It sends a message that any government can get away with torturing people and the British will just look the other way.'

A spokesman for the Department for Constitutional Affairs said the Government's involvement in the case was 'merely' for technical reasons of jurisdiction.

He added: 'The Government condemns torture. The intervention concerns jurisdiction, and the way civil damages can be sought against a foreign state for acts allegedly committed in its own territory.'