Man detained in Dubai over Google review home for Christmas

"It has been very overwhelming, because it has been quite confusing," he said.

"One minute everything changes.

"It has been a Christmas miracle.

"The happiness kicked in when I just arrived at Dublin Airport, when I saw Dublin from the sky, that was it.

"I will have an extra big fry in the next hour or two and then it will be mainly focusing on seeing friends and family.

"On Christmas Eve, we are going to do the 12 pubs of Christmas - there are a few friends from Liverpool coming over, we do it every year - and I texted them this morning, saying, 'I'm coming'."

In 2023, Mr Ballentine got a job in a dog grooming salon in Dubai.

After working there for almost six months, he needed time off due to illness and so he gave his employer a doctor's certificate as proof of his condition.

But when he did not show up for work, he was registered as "absconded" with the UAE authorities, which meant he could not leave the country.

Mr Ballentine later managed to get that travel ban lifted and went home to Northern Ireland, but doing so took two months and cost him thousands of pounds.