Calls for Liz Truss to 'intervene' over jailed Jim Fitton

Jim Fitton was jailed for 15 years on Monday

The family of retired British geologist Jim Fitton have called on Liz Truss to "intervene at the highest level" after he was jailed for 15 years in Iraq.

Mr Fitton, 66, was sentenced for attempting to smuggle ancient artefacts out of the country.

His family fear that moving him to a general population prison will see him placed alongside radical Islamists and want the Foreign Secretary to act.

The Foreign Office said it is providing Mr Fitton with "consular assistance".

They added that they are continuing to support his family and are in contact with local authorities.

Mr Fitton is due to be moved from an airport detention cell to a prison several days earlier than expected following his sentencing on Monday, according to his family and MP.

Mr Fitton's family are lodging an appeal against his sentence

While an appeal is prepared, his family fear the move could see him placed alongside former members of the Islamic State terror group who have a well-documented hatred of anything from the West.

Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who represents Mr Fitton's Bath-based family, said: "I know Jim's family must be worried sick and I am thinking of them and Jim today, as ever.

"The Foreign Secretary must now do what is right and intervene at the highest level."

Mr Fitton's son-in-law Sam Tasker, who lives in Bath, accused the Foreign Office of "basically abandoning Jim to his fate".

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The 27-year-old added that in general population prison there will be former IS members, extremists, fundamentalists and people who fought against the British and American troops in the Iraq war.

"All of these people are not going to take kindly to an elderly white British man," he said

"(That is) notwithstanding the treatment he'll get from guards, prison officials and the general treatment of prisoners in Iraq - which I understand leaves a lot to be desired - but particularly from the inmates in the prison.

"We're absolutely terrified about him being exposed to that."

The father-of-two collected 12 stones and shards of broken pottery as souvenirs while visiting a site in Eridu, in Iraq's south east, as part of an organised geology and archaeology tour.

The items were found in the possession of Mr Fitton and German tourist Volker Waldmann, who has since been cleared, as their group prepared to fly out of Baghdad airport on March 20.

He has always insisted he had no idea he was breaking the law and his tour guide said it was fine to remove the items.

Mr Tasker, who is married to Mr Fitton's daughter Leila, 31, said the family hope the appeal will enable the evidence to be reviewed and result in him being released.