The UK High Court on 30 July refused Briton Ron Jones permission to sue the Saudi government for damages over allegation that he was tortured while in custody in the kingdom. Jones was seeking damages of up to£2.5 million ($4 million) over his treatment following his arrest in connection with a series of bombings said by the Saudi authorities to be linked to the illegal alcohol trade. Jones was injured in one of the attacks and taken from his hospital bed in Riyadh to a detention centre, where he alleges he was beaten and tortured to extract a confession. The High Court dismissed the case on the grounds of state immunity. 'Unless Parliament amends the law, the act deprives me of jurisdiction in this case,' the judge said. 'The prohibition against torture has now reached a status where it is accepted in international law that states are not entitled to immunity in respect of civil claims in respect of torture,' Jones' lawyer argued.