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TV footage brings relief to British hostages' families

While the war of words escalates between London and Tehran, the families of the 15 British detainees are left anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones.

"I'm very proud of my son, but I just want him to come back home," said Sandra Sperry, mother of 22-year-old Adam Sperry, cited by the Daily Telegraph over the weekend.

Sperry was one of those captured at gunpoint in the northern Gulf on March 23, triggering a major standoff between London and Tehran which has shown no immediate sign of being resolved.

As the crisis entered its second week, the fate of the detainees -- called "hostages" by US President George W. Bush on Saturday -- remained uncertain, as Britain and Iran have traded increasingly uncompromising statements.

In the latest round of verbal exchange, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad slammed the "arrogant" attitude of the British government, while British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett denounced Tehran's "saber-rattling."

Britain was particularly furious at the release of footage of the detainees.

But perhaps ironically, the videos have provided at least some comfort for relatives of the eight sailors and seven marines.

"It is wrong to parade the captives on television ... But I cannot tell you what a relief it was to see my boy alive and well," said Roy Summers, father of 21-year-old Nathan Summers.

The 50-year-old said he does not believe his son's words were his own.

"That wasn't my son talking," he told the Sun newspaper. "Nathan's a man of few words. He was obviously given a script ... Nathan will have gone along with what they asked, to keep the situation calm."

As the crisis continues, a growing number of the 15 have been identified: as well as Summers and Sperry, the others include: Danny Masterton, 26; Joe Tindell, 21; Paul Barton, 21; and the group's only woman, Faye Turney, 26.

Summers and Turney have both appeared on Iranian TV, apparently confessing to having trespassed into Iranian waters, despite Britain's insistence that they were in the Iraqi zone.

Turney's husband Adam, looking after the couple's three-year-old daughter Molly at their home in the southern port city of Plymouth, has not commented on her capture beyond requesting privacy at this "very distressing time."

At one point last week it seemed the female sailor would be released, only for these hopes to be dashed after Tehran slammed what it called London's "incorrect" attitude in taking the case to the UN Security Council.

Summers' brother Nick, who is also in the Royal Navy, urged him to "just hang in there," adding the detainee's girlfriend was finding the situation difficult but had been reassured by seeing the TV footage.

The small Cornish seaside town of Hayle where the family lives has rallied around and launched a yellow ribbon campaign for the young sailor, the Daily Star reported yesterday.

Some are worried that the longer the crisis continues, the greater the risk. There has been talk from Tehran, so far unconfirmed, that the 15 may have to stand trial.

"Iran is a brutal country with brutal punishment. They could be executed if found guilty. We cannot let that happen," local pub chef and family friend Adrian Betts told the Daily Star yesterday.

But mostly the families are, for the moment, keeping their hopes up.

"It's all very well saying it's wrong to parade them, but when it's your family it's a good feeling," said Sperry's uncle Ray Cooper, 49. "It has put [his mother] Sandra's mind at rest a bit."

"There are quite a few people around Sandra's house. Everyone is a bit cheerier now," he said.
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