Defiant plane spotter Christopher Wilson returned to Sussex relieved to be free but angry at the ordeal he has been put through.

Mr Wilson, 47, of Erica Way, Horsham, flew into Gatwick at 3.30am yesterday with his wife Judy, a year to the day of his arrest for spying in Greece.

He was rejoicing yesterday, along with the 12 other spotters who returned for the appeal in Kalamata, southern Greece, after a judge overturned their sentences for espionage.

On November 8 last year, Mr Wilson and the other plane enthusiasts were arrested at an airbase and spent six weeks behind bars before the trial in April.

Mr Wilson said: "It's fantastic to be back at home and to have been acquitted.

"We're very relieved it's all over but we're also very angry that this happened in the first place. It's been very draining and very expensive.

"None of us are wealthy people and it has cost us £9,500 in bail and £8,000 each in lawyers fees."

He and the other spotters now intend to consult lawyers about the possibility of suing the Greek state for compensation for illegal imprisonment.

The 12 Britons and two Dutchmen still have to wait for an official translation of the verdict.

Mr Wilson is angry that he and his colleagues were acquitted on grounds of ignorance rather than innocence.

He said: "They accepted that we did not know we were doing anything wrong but still insist that it was wrong.

"We maintain we are totally innocent."

The defiant plane spotter said he would not let the events of the last year beat him.

He said: "Although the experience will always be there, I'm trying to put it behind me and get on with life as normal. It was not an experience I relished, to say the least.

"I will definitely continue with my hobby - I believe it's totally innocent. I've been an aviation enthusiast for 35 years and have been to countries all over the world looking at planes. I won't give up now."

Mr Wilson developed the passion when, as a young boy, he would cycle to Gatwick, near his home, to watch the planes take off and land.

The BT technician has had to return to Greece twice.

He was released on bail last December to return for the trial in April and then went back again last Saturday to prepare for the appeal.

Mr Wilson did not need to return as his one-year suspended sentence meant he would not have gone to jail. However, he said it was important to him and the others to clear their names.

"We all wanted to go en masse to protest as we knew we were innocent."

"I feel vindicated by the amount of support we had - not just from friends and family, but from the public and the Government."