I was absolutely appalled by the sycophantic outpourings by the UK establishment concerning the death of King Ubdullah of Saudi Arabia, considering the appalling human rights record of this tyrannical leader of a despotic regime, where beheadings, body mutilations, and floggings are all common place under its Sharia law.

Women of the country have virtually no human rights whatsoever and are not even treated as second-class citizens, but as an underclass, while being treated as nothing other than chattels by the men, to be farmed like livestock. It beggared belief that union flags were being flown at half mast on all UK government buildings, and especially repugnant was to witness the union flag immediately being lowered to half mast on the royal residency of Buckingham Palace.

That was in stark contrast to the flag not being lowered when Princess Diana met her untimely death in the Paris car crash as I am sure many will recall, which quite rightly caused so much controversy at the time.

It was a sickening sight to witness the outpourings of platitudes, followed by Prince Charles, and PM David Cameron, along with other western leaders, suddenly drop whatever they were doing at the time, to rush off to the funeral, which is obviously much more to do with chasing Arab oil wealth, and certainly much less for showing respect, as reported in the media.

How can a despotic leader of a country with few human rights, and who ruled with an iron fist, whilst subjugating his subjects to total Sharia law, be worthy of any such adoration or respect when alive, or for that matter when dead?

Finally the sycophantic shallow outpourings by the western nations I’m sure have more to do with our country, along with other western ones, yet again doing what is expected of them by the US government, who has shown repeatedly that it has a very close relationship with the despotic Saudi regime. Not surprising considering its own blatant disregard for human rights. G A Woodward Nelson Street Swindon