60 Minutes ordeal over for the families

THE deal to free the 60 Minutes crew and a Brisbane mum could not have come soon enough for their desperate families.

** NO NEWS.COM.AU ** Tara Brown and Sally Faulkner leaving the Baabda Woman's Prison, Lebanon. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

THE deal to free the 60 Minutes crew and a Brisbane mum could not have come soon enough for their desperate families.

For two weeks the detainees, particularly the men, have been held in oppressive conditions despite apparent efforts from Lebanese authorities to go easy on them.

Relieved ... 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown and producer husband John McAvoy. Picture: Supplied

Four people — producer Stephen Rice, cameraman Ben Williamson, sound recordist David Ballment and child recovery specialist Adam Whittington — were crammed into a prison cell designed for one.

It had been five people, all sharing a toilet in the cell, until Whittington’s colleague Craig Michael, seriously ill with a stomach bug, was taken to hospital.

Tara Brown and mum Sally Faulkner were moved to the nearby Baabda women’s prison for their comfort and have not been critical of their treatment.

Ms Brown is an award-winning, highly experience reporter accustomed to being in dangerous situations.

Home stretch ... Tara Brown and Sally Faulkner are released from prison in Baabda northeast of Beirut. Picture: AFP

But with a possible 20 year prison sentence hanging over their heads, there must have been many sleepless nights.

Questions about the botched operation await her and Nine on her return. However for now, many will just be happy to see her home safe.

Efforts behind the scenes to secure their release have been frantic, but it all hinged on whether Ms Faulkner’s estranged husband Ali Elamine would cut a deal.

Lawyers thought he was stalling for money — that the longer he held out, the higher the price for his co-operation.

Australian TV presenter ... Tara Brown is seen inside a vehicle after she was released on bail from prison on April 20, 2016. Picture: AFP

Just how much was Nine willing to pay for the release of their team was the question on everyone’s lips.

Elamine was on the clock, however. The investigative judge would not have waited for him forever.

And in the end he did the deal to drop charges and the Australians walked. He insisted he had not been paid. The families of Ms Faulkner and the Nine news crew may not mind either way, as long as they get everyone back.