Precious-metal trader Asaf Darr has finally closed the chapter on a two-year ordeal after returning to a Caribbean island where he was held captive for 18 months.

Bradford-born Mr Darr, 46, and two Dutch colleagues were arrested in the Dominican Republic in November 1999 during a business trip to buy gold in neighbouring Haiti.

They were detained on suspicion of money laundering and found to be carrying $750,000 US dollars (£535,000) when they drove back to the Dominican Republic after the deal collapsed.

Mr Darr was released without charge in July last year, but the confiscated money, $500,000 of which belonged to him, was not returned.

His lawyer refused to release it until he was paid $15,000 to offset a tax liability on his original fee of $150,000.

With no representative on the island, Mr Darr flew back to reclaim his money, returning last weekend.

"I was kind of frightened about going back. I wasn't really comfortable the couple of days I was there," he said. "I had a lawyer travelling around with me during the day, but at night I was a bit anxious. I barricaded the door to my hotel room."

The trip cost Mr Darr more than £5,000. "I want to move on and close this chapter. It's a case of forgetting the last two years," he said. "I'm not going to get any justice. No amount of money is going to justify the time locked up."

Still working part-time at Kings Arm Garage in Manningham Lane, Mr Darr now has his sights set on the future.

"It's been quite a fight to even get the money back. It's taken eight months, but I've also lost more than two years of my life," he said. "Not having worked, I will have to see if my contacts are still there. I would like to go back to the metal trading business."