'Tortured' G8 protester hits out at Blair

One of the G8 protest Britons held for four days by Italian police has told of his disgust at Tony Blair over the summit.

Norman Blair, 38, claims he was tortured by officers in a Genoa detention centre after being beaten up and arrested.

He was among several British nationals detained following a raid on the protest headquarters of the Genoa Social Forum.

He said: "I'm disgusted by what happened. While I was being tortured by police in that detention centre, Tony Blair was praising them.

"I was held for 28 to 30 hours in the detention centre were there was no rule of law. It was a place of torture. I say clearly, I was kidnapped and tortured by the Italian police."

Norman, originally from Newport, South Wales, and now living in Haringey, north London, has criticised the Government for not doing enough to pursue the case of those detained.

He said: "I have not been contacted by the Foreign Office once since coming home. They have my phone number, they have my address."

Norman said he had contacted lawyers in Italy and was set to launch a legal claim against the Italian authorities with the other British citizens detained.