Kristian Nicholson in emotional reunion with family at Hull station after nine-month Iraq nightmare

Hull dad-of-three Kristian Nicholson, who was stranded in Iraq for nine months, says he won't take life for granted any more after finally returning home last night. Fears had grown for Mr Nicholson's safety after his passport was confiscated by police in January, leaving him stuck in Erbil, a city which has been targeted by terrorists. He arrived back in Hull by train last night and into the arms of his wife Michelle, 37, and children, Harry, 12, Thomas, ten, and Grace, six. Mr Nicholson, 39, told the Mail today: "I will never forget being over there but I know I am a better person for going through it. "I won't take things for granted any more, it is the tiny things that make you realise how lucky you are. "Last night I was in bed with Grace, reading her a story. It is those little things that make you realise how much they mean to you when they are taken away from you." Mr Nicholson had his passport taken away after he was involved in a car crash that claimed the life of another passenger. The accident happened in January, only three days after he started a new job in northern Iraq with security company Falcon. A former RAF interpreter and Middle East security specialist, Mr Nicholson spent a tortuous 65 days in prison without charge before being released on bail.

He said: "I saw people being tortured and beaten by guards. We were kept in confined spaces for days without access to proper toilet or washing facilities."

After his release, he then spent months waiting for news from Iraqi authorities about when his passport would be returned. He finally received a six-month suspended sentence in August after handing over thousands of pounds in compensation money and was told he would be allowed to return home.

He said: "The way I have been treated by the Government in Iraq and the Government in the UK has just been appalling. Nobody at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) would listen to me for a very long time.

"If it wasn't for my Kurdish friends out here, who are a bit influential, then I might still be in prison."

The aspiring lawyer says his next priority is to find work near Hull that will keep him close to his family.

He said: "The whole experience of imprisonment and going through the courts has inspired me to change my plans. I used to want to be a criminal lawyer, but now I want to focus on human rights.

"I can tell you first-hand that there are no basic human rights for prisoners in Iraq and that needs to change.

"But the first thing I need to do is find a job so I can look after my family, that's the most important thing."

---

• Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

•Politics news for Hull and East Riding