DEFIANT air enthusiast Andy Jenkins has told the Evening Press he has "no problem" with returning to Greece to plead his innocence.

The plane spotter, who was released from Nafplion Prison after spying charges against him were reduced, knows he will have to return to Greece in the New Year to face a trial on charges of collecting illegal information.

But, after an emotional reunion with his family and friends, he said: "If I have to go back, I have to go back. I know that we're all innocent, and that this is just a silly mistake that has snowballed.

"Nothing about what we did or what we saw was illegal, I'm as convinced of that now as ever.

"When you look at some of the things they're accusing us of, you see how stupid it is.

"Part of the charge is taking information while trespassing at Megara air base. All we did was pull up at the go-kart track next door and have a look across the fence.

"All we saw was what anyone would see if they were watching the go-karts.

"Then, they made a fuss about the fact that we hadn't declared the visit to Megara. Truth is, we just weren't asked."

Like the other 11 British plane spotters, Andy has been warned by his lawyer not to "bash the Greeks" over their handling of the case.

Ioannis Zacharias says that any "offensive" comments about the Greek judiciary could find their way back to the country's media, and thence to the judges themselves.

But they have been advised to think about making an official complaint about the way the case was handled.

After returning home on Saturday, his family threw a "welcome home" party, decorating the front of the house with a big banner and balloons.

He said: "I don't think the family have been together like this since our grandmother died in 1992, so you could say some good has come of all this."

Andy also revealed that the Greek trip had replaced a planned visit to air bases in Germany, which had been cancelled due to the foot and mouth crisis there. He said that his main concern while locked up in Nafplion was for the mental state of his fellow plane spotters.

"We kept each other entertained," he added.

"There were some in there who were worriers more than I was, so we tried to keep them a bit more buoyant. It's just about adapting and assimilating where you can, and staying in good spirits."

For now, though, Andy is looking forward to a "a very special family Christmas".

Updated: 10:54 Monday, December 17, 2001