Jim Fitton: Jailed British geologist reunited with family

Jim Fitton has been reunited with his family after his conviction was overturned by an Iraqi court

A geologist who was jailed in Iraq has been reunited with his family following his release.

Jim Fitton, 66, from Somerset, was accused of trying to remove artefacts from the country and was jailed for 15 years in June.

The court has since overturned his conviction and he flew to Malaysia to be reunited with his family on Friday.

Mr Fitton's daughter Leila Tasker, from Bath, said the ordeal had been "worse than a nightmare".

Mr Fitton with children Joshua and Leila, and wife Sarijah

The retired geologist was arrested at Baghdad airport on 20 March, charged under a 2002 law against "intentionally taking or trying to take out of Iraq an antiquity", which carries the maximum sentence of the death penalty.

He had collected 12 stones and shards of broken pottery during a geology and archaeology tour and always insisted he did not know he was breaking Iraqi laws.

An appeal was made and the court overturned his conviction allowing him to go free.

Mr Fitton, originally from Bath, lives in Malaysia with his wife Sarijah, and was reunited with his family at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Friday.

Leila with her father at Kuala Lumpur International Airport

"As soon as we saw him it was such a relief," said his daughter Leila.

"It was a real nightmare and I'm very close to my dad.

"I really missed him. It impacted me a lot and I was stressed every day.

"It was a nightmare, worse than a nightmare. I couldn't really sleep, I feel like I've not slept for months," she added.

Jim Fitton was detained while trying to leave Iraq in March

Mr Fitton's son-in-law Sam Tasker said they were happy but there remained a feeling of disbelief.

"I don't think he quite believed it either," he said.

"Obviously it's a huge kind of release of four months' worth of the most stress you've ever experienced in your life.

"There's no kind of playbook in these situations. No-one tells you what to do," he added.

Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, said she was glad to see an end to the "very stressful" saga for the family.

"I believe that if they hadn't have gone public we wouldn't have had the outcome that we have today," she said.