British pilot accused of African massacre tells ITV news 'it's very good to be home'

British pilot David Simpson - who was jailed in Africa on suspicion of mass murder after he discovered the victims of an apparent massacre - has told ITV News it is "very good to be home".

The 24-year-old was cleared of all charges and arrived back in the UK today.

ITV News' Sejal Karia reports:

He was arrested five months ago in the Central African Republic after he discovered 18 bodies in a bush and informed local authorities.

Mr Simpson, who worked as a manager and pilot for a Swedish safari company, was held in Ngaragba Central Prison in the capital, Bangui, before being put under temporary house arrest after the jail was stormed by rioters and destroyed earlier this month.

The pilot was released on medical grounds last month after a malaria attack and before being told he was a free man by the presiding judge in the case.

Arriving back in the UK today, Mr Simpson told ITV News:

He was welcomed back in Yorkshire by his parents Pete and Vicky Simpson who told ITV News:

Mr Simpson, whose family runs a pheasant farm in Gillamoor, North Yorkshire, found the bodies in March as he was going through a dense forest in an area in the south-east of the country. The bodies were tied together and mutilated.

The killings have been linked to supporters of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Foreign Secretary William Hague passed on his "best wishes" to Mr Simpson as he arrived back in the UK.

Despite Mr Simpson's ordeal, he plans to return to Africa.