Isleworth: After 37 days in a dirty Greek prison cell facing spying charges, plane-spotter Antoni Adamiak is back on British soil just in time for Christmas.

The 37-year-old Church Road, Isleworth resident almost kissed the ground when he landed at Luton Airport on Saturday last week.

Mr Adamiak was one of 12 Britons arrested in November after a plane-spotting holiday went horribly wrong and the group was arrested for allegedly photographing government aircraft.

However, on Friday (December 14) the party was freed on £9,000 bail each after Greek courts reduced the charges from espionage to gathering information illegally.

His employers, Lloyds TSB, for whom he has worked as a systems programmer for the past 17 years, stumped up the cash to bring him home in time to celebrate his 38th birthday tomorrow (December 21).

"I am very grateful to my employers for securing my bail bond and absolutely delighted to be back in the UK in time for Christmas and to have a bloody good knees-up for my birthday," he said.

He admitted that the second best thing about being back in England, after a moving reunion with mother Sheila and his sisters Anna and Maria, was savouring a steaming cuppa and home-cooked meal.

"When your freedom is taken away it's the little things that you normally don't appreciate or take much notice of that you really miss.

"I went to my Mum's house on Saturday and she made me a cup of tea and chicken casserole for dinner and it was the best tasting cuppa and meal I think I've ever had."

Mr Adamiak said he was always confident that the spying charges would be dropped.

"It was mad. We went on holiday in the same way that people go to resorts and went to an airbase where we were accused of taking pictures of the aeroplanes.

"They thought we were an organisation of spies, which was so utterly ridiculous that we were always confident that the charges would be dropped.

"I did have some dark days when it all seemed like a big conspiracy. I knew that we were facing 20 years in prison and my life in England flashed before my eyes.

"I kept thinking of my 15-year-old daughter Danielle who I don't see as much as I would like because her mother and I are divorced, and then suddenly I got a letter from her and I thought I have to stay strong and get through this.

"When I got to see her on Sunday I explained just how much her letter helped me to stay sane and battle through."

Despite being back on home soil, the nightmare is not completely over, as the party have to return to Greece next year to answer the reduced charge which still carries a two to five year sentence.

But for now Mr Adamiak's pushing that to the back of his mind, enjoying the seasonal festivities and licking his lips in anticipation of a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

He said: "I can't wait to enjoy Christmas this year it will seem all the better because for a while I thought I would be spending it in prison.

"I have already started making my new year resolutions; one of which is most definitely not to ever go plane-spotting in Greece again!"

December 19, 2001 11:30