Jim Fitton, 66, was jailed for 15 years after collecting 12 stones and fragments of broken vessels as souvenirs while visiting a site in Eridu, south-east Iraq, as part of an organized geological and archaeological tour. Iraqi officials claimed the objects could be considered archaeological pieces as they date back more than 200 years. But Mr Fitton’s family say they are “over the moon” after being told he has now been cleared. Once he gets home we will celebrate and take some time to come together as a family and be happy to tell the story to anyone who will listen Sam Tasker Groom Sam Tasker, 27, from Bath, Somerset, said in a statement: “For the first time since March 20, Leila, Josh, Sarijah and I are smiling without irony. “We were informed this morning that the appeals court has decided to overturn the felony court verdict, fully recognize Jim’s innocence in this case and process his immediate release from his 15-year prison sentence in Baghdad. “We understand this process is ongoing – he is still in prison this evening but will be released shortly. “Once he comes home, we will celebrate and take some time to come together as a family and be happy to tell the story to anyone who will listen.” Fitton with his wife and daughter (PA) Father of two, Mr Fitton lives in Malaysia with his wife Sarijah. Mr Tasker said the family “expect to be home by the end of the week”, although a timetable remains unclear. Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem MP for Bath, welcomed the ‘fantastic development’ and said: ‘It is impossible to imagine the stress Jim and his family have been under over the last few months. “Jim and his family have shown incredible strength and should be extremely proud of the part they played in pushing the government to act. This was an incredibly worrying time and the government should look at how to improve the way it responds to these cases in the first place. “This is a testament to the hard work of the consulate team, State Department officials and, of course, Jim’s family.” A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: “We are providing consular assistance to a British national in Iraq and continue to support his family. We are in contact with the local authorities.” Mr Fitton was arrested at Baghdad airport on March 20 along with German tourist Volker Waldmann after airport security discovered the items in their luggage. The pair told magistrates they had not acted with criminal intent, with Mr Fitton explaining he collected such shards as a hobby. Iraqi law said the death penalty was a possible sentence, but Fitton was later sentenced to 15 years in prison while Mr Waldmann was acquitted. Mr Fitton was initially held in an airport detention center after his arrest and has been in an Iraqi prison since the second week of June.
