A British-Mexican man convicted of drug offences in Qatar after being held there for six months told BBC News he “never thought I would return home”.

In his first interview since leaving the country, Manuel Guerrero Aviña, who says he was targeted because of his homosexuality, warned LGBT people to “be careful when traveling to Qatar,” saying: “What happened to me could happen to anyone.”

He was arrested in February after arranging a meeting with a man who later turned out to be an undercover police officer via the gay dating app Grindr.

Human rights groups have expressed concern about Manuel’s detention, calling his trial “extremely unfair” – but Qatari officials insist he was arrested on drug charges.

The 45-year-old former British Airways employee now wants to concentrate on returning to work and spending time with his family.

After his arrest, Manuel made headlines around the world and his family launched a campaign for his release.

At a Court hearing in JuneHe was found guilty of possession of an illegal substance, given a six-month suspended sentence, fined £2,100 and given a deportation order.

After returning to the UK, he gave his first first-hand account of his 44 days in a Qatari prison and his subsequent detention in the country.

“I was terribly afraid so many times,” said Manuel.

“I thought I would never be able to walk again.

“I thought I might get lost in the system.

“I was really scared.

“I never thought I would return home safely.”

Manuel has always insisted that police planted drugs in his apartment and says the real reason for his arrest was his sexuality.

“I strongly deny the drug allegations,” he told BBC News.

“Throughout the interrogation, all the questions they asked me were about my sexual partners, my sexual orientation, whether I had sex, who I had sex with, and things like that.

“If it had just been a drug case, they would have asked me about drugs.”

Homosexuality is criminalized in Qatar and human rights organizations have concerns have been repeatedly raised about the treatment of LGBT people in the country.

However, Manuel said he had lived there for seven years without getting into trouble with the police.

“There seemed to be an unwritten rule that whatever happened in private was OK,” he said.

“I thought I was following the rules by being discreet (in public) – but I was just trying to live a little bit of my life behind closed doors.

“I thought it would be okay as long as it wasn’t in public.”

BBC News previously reported howOn February 4, Manuel wrote messages to a man via the dating apps Grindr and Tinder and invited him to his apartment.

After attempting to meet the man in the lobby of his building, Manuel said he was instead met by police officers who handcuffed him before searching his apartment and eventually arresting him.

During his time in prison, Manuel says he witnessed people being whipped and was kept in cramped conditions for refusing to unlock his phone or reveal the names and phone numbers of other LGBT people living in Qatar.

“They wanted to force me to confess and unlock my phone – but I couldn’t put other people in the gay community in danger,” he said.

“Why should I inflict this pain on someone else?”

BBC News has obtained a confession written in Arabic in which Manuel says he was forced to give his thumbprint without the presence of a lawyer or the help of a translator.

We cannot independently verify all of his claims.

Many of the allegations regarding his treatment after his arrest relate to the time he spent behind closed doors and with few witnesses.

But the Guerrero Aviña family has released a detailed timeline of events – and previous reports on the treatment of LGBT people and the conduct of police officers in Qatar suggest that others have had similar experiences.

A Qatari official told BBC News that Manuel was treated “with dignity and respect throughout his detention” and was sentenced “after an investigation and trial.”

He was arrested “for possession of an illegal substance” and “no other factors were considered in the arrest.”

“Mr. Aviña and his family have made numerous false allegations in order to generate public sympathy and support for his case,” the official said.

“A person’s beliefs, origin or orientation do not exempt him or her from the legality of the act, especially when he or she is facing serious charges related to drug possession.

“Qatar has strict laws regulating the possession of illegal drugs – and the authorities are continuously working to combat this problem.

“As Mr Aviña himself admitted, he lived in Qatar for seven years without any problems.”

But James Lynch, a former British diplomat in Qatar and co-director of the human rights organisation FairSquare, called the trial “extremely unfair” and compared it to other cases he had dealt with.

“Manuel was clearly the target because he was LGBT and living in Qatar and living his life,” Lynch said.

“Over the past three years, we have handled several cases in which people were arrested and subsequently interrogated without a lawyer.

“The Qataris must clarify the way justice is administered in the country.”

Manuel, who lives with HIV, also received support from HIV charities in the UK after allegations that he was not receiving regular access to his medication, which keeps the virus under control.

He said: “I had to beg the prison guards every day to get access to my medication.

“It’s been a really difficult time for me, not having access to my medication, because you worry about the impact on your health and it has an impact on your mental health as well.”

Now back in the UK, Manuel says he is receiving medical care and is slowly getting back to being himself.

“It’s not about seeing symbols like rainbows or flags everywhere,” he said.

“It’s more that it’s a great feeling to regain some of the little things that you don’t even realize you’ve lost until you have them again.

“Things like seeing people holding hands on the street or being able to show affection to my friends without thinking about how we treat each other. Being able to do that without it happening behind closed doors.”