As chequebook-wielding reporters gathered outside the Royal Marine camp where the 15 freed detainees were gathered, surprising advice was being offered to the sailors and Marines. “Say exactly what you want to the media: good, bad, critical. It’s a free country. Say exactly what you think. Tell the truth. Be transparent.”

The only censored item would be “operational matters”. These were to remain confidential, the sailors and Marines recovering from their two-week ordeal in Iran were instructed by their superiors.

Most unusual of all, the fourteen men and one woman were told that they would be allowed to sell their stories for cash. The Ministry of Defence would, in effect, facilitate deals by providing press officers to accompany interviewees.

It was a decision that would delight the popular media and bring the hope of making life-changing sums to the unwitting stars of the detention saga.

But, after enduring solitary confinement, browbeating interrogations, fear and sleepless nights, the detainees were in a poor emotional state to make the wisest decisions. Some were about to get their fingers burnt. They agreed to pour out their stories to Sunday newspapers which, in the end, pulled the plug on the deals.

Even Faye Turney, who has been offered an estimated £100,000 for selling her story to The Sun and Tonight with Trevor McDonald, risks a public backlash if she takes and keeps any money.

“It’s just a bit distasteful now,” the father of one detainee told The Times yesterday. “It’s going to leave a sour taste. After hearing the radio this morning and seeing the headlines in the Sunday papers, we won’t be talking to anybody.”

The atmosphere at the Royal Marine Base in Chivenor, North Devon, where the 15 were flown after being freed by Iran, had been supportive. One relative said: “They had chaplains everywhere. Every time you sat down, they came and talked to you. It wasn’t just a welcoming committee, it was part of their decompression stage. They made sure that everyone was OK.”

The sailors and Marines were advised how to handle the media. “They got a good briefing so it wasn’t a case of feeding lambs to wolves — very helpful, instructive advice.”

At the detainees’ homes — from Ayrshire to Cornwall — reporters were pushing notes through letter boxes suggesting friendly chats. No money was being mentioned. On Good Friday, six held a TV press conference describing their ordeals. They had been blindfolded, bound and lined up against a wall as weapons were cocked. They had been seized 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters, as the MoD has always said.

By Saturday, several believed that they were about to sell their stories to Sunday papers for four-figure and five-figure sums. Such offers may be especially tempting to service-men on salaries that can be as modest as £20,000. An MoD press officer arrived early at the home of Mark Banks, 24, of the Royal Marines. At a photocall that day, the mother, father and brother of the lance corporal smiled for the world’s press, but there was no sign of him.

He is understood to have believed that a Sunday newspaper was to carry his exclusive interview. But, by the end of the day, it had decided to drop his tale, and that of another detainee.

Perhaps the stories were becoming a little stale. The press conference had shot their fox; the world knew that nobody had been tortured and the Britons said that they were outside Iranian waters. Who would buy a newspaper to hear that again?

The exceptions are those with a unique angle. As the only woman, Faye Turney was always going to be a bankable media asset — her decision not to join the free-for-all press conference did nothing to reduce curiosity.

Arthur Batchelor, as the youngest captive at age 20, also has potential. He is understood to have been offered a tidy sum by the Daily Mirror.

In the end, the only one to give an interview to the Sunday papers was Danny Masterton, 26, a Marine and the son of a Scottish footballer. His story made the front page of the Sunday Mail, believed to have paid a “nominal” sum of about £100.

Chris Air, a Royal Marine captain, is expected to appear in an exclusive interview for his local paper, the Manchester Evening News, today. No money changed hands.

The detainees

Acting Leading Seaman Faye Turney

Royal Marine Captain Chris Air

Lieutenant Felix Carman

Royal Marines Mark Banks, Joe Tindell, Danny Masterton, Paul Barton, Adam Sperry

Leading Seaman Christopher Coe

Able Seamen Simon Massey, Andrew Henderson, Nathan Summers, Arthur Batchelor

Acting Royal Marine Sergeant Dean Harris

Chief Petty Officer Gavin Cavendish

Forces salaries

£20-£24,000 Marine

£21-£25,000 Able Seaman

£27-£30,000 Leading Seaman

£30-£33,000 Royal Marine Sergeant

£35-£39,000 Chief Petty Officer

£41,000 Royal Marine Captain

£42,000 Royal Navy Lieutenant

Source: Armed Forces Pay Review Body 2007 report

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