It is the stuff nightmares are made of - being accused of a crime you didn't commit, forcibly taken to a country where you barely speak the language and thrown into a prison with violent criminals and drug addicts.

Andrew Symeou's story first made headlines in 2008 when he was arrested by British police at his home in Enfield, wrongfully accused of murdering another British man Jonathan Hiles while on holiday in Greece.

A university student at the time, he fought his case in England for a year but lost and was extradited on July 23, 2009 for trial.

Alone in a Greek jail cell with his mind full of fear at what horrors his future may hold, he made his first entries in what would become a detailed journal of his ordeal, writing: "I wish I knew how this story will end, or maybe I don’t. It’s time to go to sleep. I know tomorrow is going to be a tough day. I can’t even cry here because everyone will hear."

He has now transformed his journal into a book Extradited, which tells of his three year battle to clear his name.

"The hardest part was having to recall terrible things, which I would rather have forgotten," says the 26-year-old who is now living back in Enfield.

"I tried to overcome this by telling as many funny stories as possible – and one of the book’s key themes is the idea that there are always ‘ups and downs’ to any kind of life experience."

Andrew was finally acquitted in 2011 after the Greek police's case unravelled and he now hopes to raise awareness of the flaws in the European Arrest Warrant which allows British nationals to be extradite without question to the requesting country, regardless of evidence.

Recalling the moment the police came to arrest him in Enfield he says: "I had absolutely no connection to the crime; I was not even at the scene. It was absurd to be arrested and I was in complete shock.

"When it happened it felt as though my life had fallen apart in an instant."

He was in prison in Greece for a year, crammed into a cockroach infested cell with three other men and had to avoid violent riots and constant pressure to take heroin and deal drugs. But his book reveals the surprising comradery he found with some of his fellow prisoners.

"In the juvenile prison my cellmates brewed alcohol in our cell out of juice, sugar, apples and bread. When we were locked in for the night, we waited for the guard to leave and sat around the plastic table in our cell and drank prison hooch together for hours.

"On that night we were doing what most normal young people do – and it felt like we were free again."

His lowest moment was being transferred from Avlona youth offenders prison to Korydallos maximum security prison- one of the worst prisons in Europe.

"It was probably the most emotional thing to write about in my book, " says Andrew.

Extradited took him two years in total to complete, in between gaining a degree in psychology and, one of his former cellmates helped with the Greek translations.

"I wanted to share my experience to raise awareness of how dangerous the European Arrest Warrant is, " explains Andrew.

"I also wanted to expose how corrupt the systems can be, and how the British system let me down completely."

When asked who he feels is to blame Andrews says: "The Greek investigating officers for not conducting a competent investigation into the death of Jonathan Hiles.

"And the British government for signing away our right for evidence to be considered in a court of law pre-extradition."

Despite losing three years of his life, the former pupil of Ashmole School in Southgate has managed to turn his life around and has just left for a trip across Australia before he starts a graduate scheme for a consultancy company called Accenture in October.

He says of his ordeal: "It has changed my life completely. I know how it has affected me negatively but I choose not to focus on it. I would rather focus on the positives.

"What could have destroyed my whole life is actually a very strong foundation for me. I’ve started from scratch, received a first class honours degree, written a book and I’m starting my life in an incredible professional field.

"There may be some negatives to how I think or feel at times, but I can only use it to drive me to succeed as much as I can in life. It has put things into perspective for me."

Extradited is out now via Biteback Publishing Ltd.