Matthew Hedges, the academic jailed for spying in the Gulf, dreamt of killing himself in his cell during his imprisonment in the UAE.

On Tuesday he told The Telegraph how he is suffering “severe withdrawal symptoms” after being force-fed a cocktail of drugs by his captors.

Mr Hedges, 31, was held for almost six months in solitary confinement after being arrested at Dubai airport in May on suspicion of spying for MI6.

When he was sentenced to life on November 21 after weeks of interrogation, for the second time his mind was filled with suicidal thoughts, as he dreamt of hanging himself in his cell.

Talking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme about the moment he was sentenced to life during a five-minute hearing, he said: "Total shock. I wasn't able to process that right in the court. It was like an explosion.

"I was expecting to be taken to jail, but instead I was taken back to the interrogation room. I couldn't process that. And then I got interrogated again.

"Then, for the second time, I had suicidal thoughts.

"Before, I was having bad panic attacks, I was struggling, and had a dream I was hanging myself in my cell."