Saudi Arabia beheaded 130 prisoners this year and ’dangled corpses from a helicopter as warning’

Saudi Arabia, where public killings are carried out by the sword, has one of the world's highest execution rates, with 153 killed in 2016.

The kingdom is governed under a strict form of Islamic law, with suspects convicted of "terrorism", murder, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking all facing the death penalty.

Mrs May met both Saudi King Salman and powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman late on Wednesday, with the worsening crisis in Yemen topping her agenda.

She is said to have implored the Saudi leaders to ease an aid blockade on war-torn Yemen to "avert a humanitarian catastrophe".

Saudi Arabia is Britain's largest trading partner in the Middle East, with London signing off on more than £3.3billion worth of arms sales to the nation since March 2015.

Theresa May's visit has been overshadowed by a high-profile row with US President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Trump drew fierce condemnation at home and abroad for retweeting three incendiary anti-Muslim videos posted by the deputy head of a British far-right group.

When challenged over the tweet, he then plunged deeper into controversy by suggesting May focus on defending Britain rather than criticising him.