Holiday arrests over 'ID mix-up'

The couple had been planning a luxury holiday on a Caribbean island

A former police officer was held for 48 hours in cockroach-infested cells on a Caribbean island with his wife because of a case of mistaken identity.

Immigration officers on St Lucia said Anthony Griffin, from Kent, was wanted for stealing antiquities from Egypt.

Police were looking for another man with the same name and date of birth.

The Foreign Office said the pair had not been allowed to contact the British High Commission and they recognised the couple's distress because of this.

The pair were stopped as they went through passport control after arriving from the UK and taken to a local police station where they were held in separate cells.

'Horrendous conditions'

He and his wife were held for 48 hours and then told they would be deported.

Mr Griffin, 65, from Gillingham, had paid £3,500 for the luxury holiday which he booked for his wife, Pauline, also 65, who had recently lost her mother.

He said he returned to the UK to find there was an international warrant for a man with the same name and date of birth as him.

There were no toilet facilities in the cells and we had to give the police officers money to go out and buy us food Anthony Griffin

The former detective constable said: "At no stage did I think they were going to put me in prison, I thought they were going to just make inquiries and then find out they were wrong."

He said he was held with a suspected murderer, a suspected armed robber, and three others being held for similar crimes.

"The conditions were horrendous," he added.

"At the airport we had asked to speak to someone at the British Embassy, but nothing ever happened with that.

"We also asked to speak to our daughter as she's a lawyer, but they wouldn't let us speak to anyone.

"My wife was very distraught; there were no toilet facilities in the cells and we had to give the police officers money to go out and buy us food."

'Out of pocket'

The couple were allowed back into the UK with no problems when they arrived back at Manchester Airport.

Mr Griffin said he and his wife had visited the Egyptian Embassy in London since their return in October, and had also been in contact with Kent Police and Interpol who told him of the true nature of the warrant.

Mr Griffin said it would unlikely they would get money back from insurers, they could not afford to sue the St Lucian government and had been left £3,500 out of pocket.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "It was our understanding that Mr and Mrs Griffin would be deported from St Lucia on the return flight to the UK; we subsequently learnt that this was not the case.

"Mr and Mrs Griffin were not allowed to contact the British High Commission while being held and we recognise the distress they may have suffered because of this.

"We have asked that the St Lucian authorities ensure procedures are in place to inform us of any British Nationals being detained."

"We continue to provide Mr Griffin with consular assistance in the UK."

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They were arrested and accused of stealing ancient Egyptian artefacts