A British dad-of-four has been thrown into prison in Egypt after he patted an airport official on the back, his family claim.

Since Saturday evening Tony Camoccio, from Sutton, London, has been locked in a cell in Hurghada, a resort town on the country's Red Sea coast.

The 51-year-old man had gently touched the back of a security guard at the airport after being frisked, his son Remo told MirrorOnline, prompting the airport worker to launch a verbal tirade.

Tony was handcuffed and thrown in a 'freezing' cell beneath a police station alongside a number of other suspects, wearing just a t-shirt and shorts with no access to food or water.

Having cancelled their flights and booked into a hotel, Remo and his mum Joan believe that Tony is accused of sexually assaulting the airport worker by digital penetration.

There has been no official confirmation of the charges made against him however.

Remo, who was standing next to his dad when the incident unfolded, said: "All he has done is put his hand on his back.

"We couldn't understand what was happening. They took his passport and boarding pass. At first me and my mum went to the gate thinking they were just trying to scare him,

"Then he called us saying he was in the back room so we got off the plane."

Tony's friend Dave Brooker, 46, was on holiday with the family.

He said: “All he did was touch the guy on the back in a friendly manner as a way of saying thank you after being patted down.

“He didn’t mean anything by it and there really was nothing to it.

“It was just before we all got on the plane home and we just can’t believe how it has panned out.”

On Sunday Remo and Joan met Tony outside court, where the double glazing business owner was in a bad way.

"He couldn't talk," the 26-year-old continued. "He was shaking so much and he hadn't eaten.

(Image: Facebook)

"He slept under an open roof on a tiled floor, back to back (with other prisoners) literally touching each other.

"He hadn't even a sheet over him and he could hear people screaming.

"We dropped clothes off for him but they didn't pass them on for two days."

After two days in the prison beneath the police station Tony was transferred to a different, slightly more comfortable cell.

Four days after he was imprisoned Remo and Joan were preparing for his release, as the Egyptian authorities must legally make a case against a suspect within that time frame.

They were devastated to learn that he would be detained for another 15 days at least while a case is mounted against him.

Not only is Tony distressed by his legal predicament and current situation, he is worried about the state of his business back home.

The police have confiscated his work phone, meaning he is unable to explain to customers why he isn't turning up for scheduled jobs.

(Image: Facebook)

Tony and his family have visited the Egyptian resort numerous times before, without any trouble, his son said.

Tony’s friends and family have launched a campaign for his release.

His daughter Elle and Dave have travelled to London to speak with the British Embassy on behalf of Tony’s family, who are still in Egypt.

Dave added: “I met Tony in Egypt seven years ago but I’ll never go back there again after this. It’s ruined it all for us.

“Tony is just an every day nice bloke and has never ever been involved in anything like that before.

“I honestly cannot believe this. I don’t want to take a chance by going to Egypt again after all of this.”

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are in contact with a British man who has been arrested in Egypt.

"Our staff are in touch with his family and the Egyptian authorities.”

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The Egyptian consulate, the British Embassy in Cairo and the Hurghada airport were contacted for comment.

A petition calling for his release can be found here.