Otley plumber Fran Prenga tells of his terror during Greek jail hell (From Ilkley Gazette)

Dad now back home with family

12:22pm Wednesday 17th October 2012 in News

An Otley plumber who spent more than five months behind bars in a Greek jail today told of his fears after being locked up alongside murderers and drug dealers.

Fran Prenga returned home from his ordeal last week, but says he is still suffering nightmares about the time he was incarcerated in Greece accused of more than 70 counts of armed robbery in Athens between 2004 and 2005.

Speaking today he said: “It’s hard, but it’s nice. I’ve had lots of support and lots of friends.

“But I’m still recovering. I feel like I’m starting from below zero.”

He said that he had feared going to sleep and ‘not waking up’ after being locked up and is now trying to rebuild his life, alongside wife Louise and one-year-old daughter Maria, after languishing in prison - despite being completely innocent.

The bathroom fitter, who has his own business, also spent a week in an immigration prison, despite being cleared of all charges and having a valid British passport.

But his tribulations finally ended last Friday, when Greek authorities put him on a plane to England after he agreed to being deported, and he was reunited with his family at Heathrow Airport.