Tony Camoccio: British man arrested in Egypt 'happy to be back'

Tony Camoccio was greeted by family and friends at Gatwick Airport on Sunday

A British man released from custody in Egypt where he was accused of patting an airport security guard on the back said he is "happy to be back" home.

Tony Camoccio feared he would be falsely accused of sexual assault after the incident at Hurghada International Airport on 8 February.

More than 5,000 people had signed a petition supporting the 51-year-old.

Mr Camoccio arrived on British soil on Sunday afternoon and was met by a crowd of family and friends.

The father-of-four, from Sutton in south London, said: "I am tired, very tired. But I just want to say thank you to everybody.

"I'm really happy to be back. It's brilliant to see my family again."

Mr Camoccio was arrested at Hurghada International Airport

Mr Camoccio, who has visited Egypt several times, was at the end of his holiday with his wife and a large group of friends when the incident is said to have happened at an airport checkpoint.

Campaign group Detained in Dubai said he had been released from custody after paying about £1,000 in bail and other costs.

Its chief executive Radha Stirling said the case had been dismissed for lack of evidence.

Mr Camoccio's sister Liz Doody said: "We are very relieved that we got him home. We appreciate the help from the public and [the media] and the online support was terrific.

"It really gathered momentum. And thanks very much for everything."

Tony Camoccio (centre), pictured after his release on Saturday with wife Joan, lawyer Elezab Ali Elezab, and son Reno