The family of Jim Fitton revealed they spoke to the British geologist after he was sentenced to 15 years in jail in Iraq for allegedly attempting to smuggle artefacts out of the country.
Mr Fitton, 66, was arrested at Baghdad International Airport in March after authorities found 12 items he and another German tourist had picked up while visiting a historic site in Eridu, south-east Iraq.
Mr Fitton has strenuously denied criminal intent in taking the pieces of pottery and claims he was given permission by a veteran tour guide and a representative of Iraq's Ministry of Tourism.
His daughter Leila Fitton, 31, revealed she managed to speak to her father after the verdict on Monday, which they have since described as a "death sentence". She had last spoken with Mr Fitton 93 days ago before he was first detained.
"As soon as we heard the verdict I tried calling him and we were lucky enough to get to speak to him", she told Sky News.
She said her father was "calm" but shocked by the turn of events that have left him facing the rest of his life in an Iraqi prison.
"He was just shocked because we were feeling positive leading up to trial yesterday," she said. "It was nice to hear his voice and I was obviously getting a bit emotional but he stayed strong."
Sam Tasker, 27, said his father-in-law was more concerned about there being enough money to pay for his wife's food and bills "in case we don't see him for 15 years".
Mr Tasker said the family were hopeful about the case going before an Iraqi appeals court.
"Obviously we're kind of shell-shocked, devastated and trying to get any help we can to support and bolster the appeal," he said.
The father-of-two was arrested at Baghdad Airport on March 20 along with German tourist Volker Waldmann after airport security discovered the items in their luggage.
Mr Fitton, who is originally from Bath, had collected 12 stones and shards of broken pottery on a geological and archaeological tour of the country.
Iraqi officials said the items could be considered as archaeological pieces as they dated back more than 200 years.
The case has received international attention at a time when Iraq hopes to boost its nascent tourism sector.
A petition started by his family has garnered more than 100,000 signatures.
Mr Waldman’s defence team said the German tourist had been carrying two pieces for Mr Fitton but that he had not picked them up from the site.
