Brit father falsely arrested for raping his DAUGHTER reunited with her

EXCLUSIVE: British father falsely arrested for raping his own DAUGHTER by Greek cops is pictured reunited with her as he is released from prison – and celebrates with a beer and a kebab

• Philip Forsythe, 62, was arrested in Malia, Crete, after his daughter Tammi reported that she had been raped following a night out with him on June 9
• Tammi waived her right to anonymity as she protested her father’s innocence
• Forsythe released from prison after DNA samples proved he was not attacker

A British father cleared of raping his own daughter on the Greek holiday island of Crete has been pictured reunited with her.  

Philip Forsythe revealed how he celebrated being released from prison by devouring a kebab and knocking back a bottle of beer. 

Mr Forsythe, 62, was arrested in the tourist town of Malia after his daughter Tammi reported that she had been raped following a boozy night out with him on June 9.

She bravely waived her right to anonymity to MailOnline as she protested his innocence and highlighted police failings in the case.

Mr Forsythe spent almost a month in custody but was released from a prison in Tripoli, on the Greek mainland on Wednesday night after DNA samples proved he was not the attacker.

Following a tearful reunion with Tammi, Mr Forsythe exclusively told MailOnline: ‘The first thing I said to her was: “I love you. I’m sorry for what’s happened, and I’ll never let anybody hurt you like this again”.

‘We hugged for a very long time and were both crying. The whole thing was very emotional.’

Philip Forsythe has been pictured with his daughter Tammi after they were reunited following his release from prison

Following a tearful reunion with Tammi (pictured together after release), Mr Forsythe exclusively told MailOnline: ‘The first thing I said to her was: “I love you. I’m sorry for what’s happened, and I’ll never let anybody hurt you like this again”.’

He added: ‘I then had a lovely kebab and washed it down with a bottle of beer because I hadn’t eaten any decent food for almost a month. It tasted wonderful and was one of the best feelings in the world along with the fact that I’m a free man and am back with my daughter.

‘The whole experience has been hell, the worst thing I’ve ever gone through and it’s driven me crazy. It’s left me crushed and devastated and I’m very angry about how me and my daughter have been treated.’

Tammi, 33, who was waiting for her father at a hotel in Crete cried: ‘I was standing on the balcony looking out for him and when I saw him, I shouted: ‘Dad, I’m here. I love you.’

‘I rushed down to hug him and then took him to eat a kebab and drink a beer. It’s the best day of my life to be back with him.’

Recalling the events of the past month, Mr Forsythe revealed that he was arrested by Greek police on July 11, two days after Tammi had reported being raped.

The couple had been drinking in the Help Bar, along Malia’s main strip which is lined with rowdy bars and night clubs popular with Brits.

Mr Forsythe admitted that Tammi was ‘horribly drunk’ and that he started arguing with her as he attempted to get her back to their hotel, and she became verbally and physically aggressive.

Mr Forsythe, 62, (pictured with Tammi) spent almost a month in custody but was released from a prison in Tripoli, on the Greek mainland on Wednesday night after DNA samples taken from him proved he was not the attacker

Police were relying on CCTV from a local bar where Mr Forsythe, 62, had been drinking with his daughter before the attack (pictured), that showed the pair being physical with each-other

But DNA evidence collected from Tammi after the attack and supplied by Mr Forsythe has proved he did not commit the crime, meaning he has been released from jail 

Police arrested him after viewing CCTV footage from the bar which they claimed showed that he had sexually assaulted his daughter.

Mr Forsythe cried: ‘The police showed me the CCTV footage and asked me to explain what was going on. I told them that it was all innocent, just a father trying to get his drunken daughter back to her bed.

‘But the police started shouting at me and said I was a rapist. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I love my daughter so much, I’m very protective of her and couldn’t ever imagine being accused of something so disgusting. It’s one of the worst things a father can hear.’

The CCTV footage has been obtained by MailOnline with Mr Forsythe insisting: ‘I want everybody to see it and look at it carefully. How can you arrest a man for rape just based on that? It’s ridiculous.’

Mr Forsythe revealed that after stumbling out of the bar at around 4.55am he and Tammi continued to argue and that he angrily walked off but was planning to return to her but got lost.

Tammi also walked away and ended up slumped in a dead-end alley where she was raped.

The Crete resort town of Malia (above) is a popular holiday destination with Brit tourists flocking to the island every summer 

Mr Forsythe cried: ‘A part of me still blames myself. I shouldn’t have left her like that, but I’d had a good drink myself and got lost. I eventually got back to the hotel and then a few hours later Tammi came back and told me she’d been raped.

‘At first, I thought she was just saying it to get back at me because she was still angry but then after a while, we talked about what happened and I realised that it was true. I told her to report it to the police so we both went to the police station.’

He continued: ‘We both gave statements, but I never realised that I would end up being accused of the crime. It was a complete shock to me when, two days later, they said I was the rapist and that Tammi had told them this, which was a complete lie.’

The father of four said that after being held in a police station he was eventually moved to Tripoli prison, where he was in a cell with 26 other inmates.

He was told that he was a free man by a prison officer who instructed him to pack his belongings.

Mr Forsythe said: ‘I was over the moon when I heard those words. The other prisoners started clapping and cheering because they knew that I was an innocent man.

‘I shook hands with all of them and then got the hell out of there as quickly as I could. The prisoners were a great bunch and took good care of me. Only one of them spoke English and he acted as my translator.’

Mr Forsythe revealed that the worst conditions he endured were in a detention centre on the Greek mainland prior to when he was moved to Tripoli prison.

Tammi told MailOnline that her dream holiday to Crete (pictured) has turned into a nightmare and she is using up her family’s savings to stay there and support her father until she can  go home and finally see her own four children again  

He recalled: ‘I was in a filthy cell for almost a week. It stank of excrement and urine and there were rats running around. You would not have put a dog in a place like that. At one point I didn’t think I would be able to survive that but knowing that Tammi and other family members were supporting me got me through.’

Mr Forsythe, who lives in Hull with Tammi, a mother of four slammed Greek police for their handling of the investigation and urged them to find the real rapist.

He said: ‘Once they saw the CCTV footage, they immediately made up their minds that I was guilty. All the police officers in the station were watching it and laughing, as if it was a TV show.

‘The way this whole thing has been handled is disgusting and we are determined to get justice. Not only is my daughter a victim but so am I. I would like answers as to why we were treated like this?’

The father and daughter were on holiday together in Greece to celebrate Mr Forsythe’s birthday and it was also the first time they have travelled abroad since the lifting of Covid restrictions.

Tammi revealed that she has been informed by Greek officials that DNA from the actual attacker has been obtained but they are unable to find him because she was unable to provide an adequate description.

Mr Forsythe fumed: ‘The Greek police haven’t done anything about finding the real rapist, even though they have his DNA. From the moment Tammi reported the crime, they just saw it as a case of drunken Brits on holiday not behaving themselves.

‘I want other British people to know that they should be very careful in Greece because the justice system here and the police will not protect you.’

Greek police maintain that the investigation into the rape is still continuing but said that they could not provide any further details.

Mr Forsythe and Tammi said that they are hoping to return to the UK as quickly as possible.

He said: ‘We’ve got some things to sort out in Crete and then we just want to get on a plane and back to Hull as soon as we can. I want to see the rest of my family and give them all a big hug and thank them for their support.

‘I never want to return to Greece again. There are no words to describe the horror that Tammi and I have gone through. We just want to see justice done and return to our normal lives.’

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