THE government of Qatar has denied allegations that a man who was found hanged on Christmas Day had been tortured.

Marc Bennett, 52, had been working for a subsidiary of Qatar Airways in 2019 to boost the country’s tourism industry ahead of this winter’s World Cup.

However, after he announced plans to leave his job for a rival post in Saudi Arabia - a country which was at the time involved in a diplomatic blockade with Qatar, he was arrested.

An investigation by The Times claimed the father-of-three from Haywards Heath was held in a detention centre where he was mentally and physically tortured.

Marc reportedly told friends before his death that he was taken to a bare cell, stripped naked and had a high-pressure hose directed at his genitals.

Guards also allegedly pressured him to describe how he might “commit suicide”. He was later found dead in a room of the Curve Hotel in Doha.

In an inquest last year, a Sussex coroner ruled that “whilst Marc Bennett died of hanging, there is no specific evidence of suicidal intent”.

The Argus: The Qatari government denied allegations of tortureThe Qatari government denied allegations of torture (Image: Unsplash)

A spokesman for the Qatari government told The Argus that it strongly denied claims of torture.

The official said: “The state of Qatar categorically denies allegations of mistreatment in its detention facilities.

“All detainees are treated with respect and dignity in accordance with international standards.

“Qatar regularly opens its detention facilities for inspection from independent human rights observers and international organisations.

“In 2019, Qatar invited a UN working group to inspect its facilities, while in the same year, the National Human Rights Committee conducted 96 independent field visits to facilities across the country.”

Marc’s widow, Nancy, told The Times: “There are so many questions. He left here with the whole world ahead of him.

“He was hoping he would be deported, he was looking at flights every single day - not necessarily to the UK but anywhere.”

Qatar is set to host the World Cup this year, amid controversy over the rights and deaths of migrant workers.