A British grandfather today thanked The Sun for saving his life after after it campaigned against him receiving 378 lashes in Saudi Arabia.
Oil executive Karl Andree had lived in the Muslim state for 25 years and was facing the punishment for having home-made wine in the boot of his car.
Prime Minister David Cameron wrote personally to the Saudi government to protest over the treatment of Andree.
And an online petition backed by the paper attracted more than 250,000 signatures.
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Andree returned to the UK yesterday and said: “Thank you The Sun for saving my life.”
He told the paper: “The support of your readers and calls to get me freed from jail in Saudi Arabia got the politicians talking and my story went around the world.
“It was terrifying but without The Sun I’d be stuck in prison.
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“The world was forced to sit up and take notice.”
He spent more than a year in jail in Saudi Arabia before being released.
The Sun said in a leader column today: “We've had many inspiring days on The Sun. Yesterday was high on the list.
"Thanks to our campaign and the 250,000-name petition it launched, Karl Andree was flown home from Saudi, safe from a potentially deadly flogging.
"At the same time a memorial to soldier Lee Rigby, murdered by terrorists, was unveiled in Woolwich following another Sun campaign victory.
"Haters always knock Britain’s No1 paper and our fantastic readers.
Listen instead to 74-year-old Karl…"
Picture credit: The Sun.
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