A British computer engineer, who was left to languish in a Thai jail, naked, emaciated, chained to the bars and close to death after suffering a mental breakdown, was deported to Britain early today (SAT).

Richard Hewitt, 49, had been arrested wandering incoherently in the Thai resort of Pattaya last November after falling victim to its offerings of sex, drugs, and alcohol. He said before his departure that he had been asked by British Embassy officials not to talk to the media about his plight.

One of those who found him said it looked like he had been ‘left to die’. But the Foreign Office said he had been afforded full ‘consular assistance’.

Read more: Andrew-Drummond.com