British couple on motorcycle tour jailed for 10 years in Iran

Yvette Cooper says the sentence is ‘completely appalling’

A British couple in Iran have been sentenced to 10 years in jail by the country, their family says.

Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through the country on an around-the-world motorcycle journey.

They are being held in Tehran’s Evin prison on charges of espionage. They deny the allegations.

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has labelled the sentence “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable”.

She said: “We will pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family.

“In the meantime, their welfare is our priority and we will continue to provide consular assistance to them and their families.”

Lindsay and Craig Foreman are being held in Tehran’s Evin prison (PA)

Joe Bennett, Ms Foreman’s son, told ITV News they had been informed of the sentence last week.

His family was “deeply concerned” for the pair’s welfare and the “lack of transparency” in their judicial process.

“My parents have now been sentenced to 10 years following a trial that lasted just three hours and in which they were not allowed to present a defence,” he said.

“They have consistently denied the allegations. We have seen no evidence to support the charge of espionage.”

He added: “We were previously told that once sentencing occurred, further action would follow. We now hope the UK Government will act decisively and use every available avenue to secure their release.”

(Left to right) Anoosheh Ashoori, his daughter Elika Ashoori, Joe Bennett, Sue Clarke and Richard Ratcliffe hand a petition to Downing Street last month on the one-year anniversary of the couple’s detention in Iran (PA)

In January, Mr Bennett was joined by former detainee Anoosheh Ashoori and Richard Ratcliffe, who fought a public campaign that involved two hunger strikes to have his wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed from Iran, at the steps of Number 10 Downing Street.

They delivered a 70,000-signature petition calling on the government to do more to free them.

Ahead of his sentencing, Mr Foreman said he had a one-word message for the UK government.

“One word would be: Help. Full stop,” he told ITV News.

“I don’t understand why we have been here for 13 months, being held hostage in 2026. In what day and age does this [happen]? When does this end?”

The couple’s trial reportedly only lasted three hours and they were not allowed to present a defence (PA)

He described being held in an “8ft cell with a hole in the floor and a sink” and described the effects of 57 days in solitary confinement, saying: “Emotionally and physically, it broke me to pieces”.

The couple is due to appear before a court in Tehran in the coming days.

Craig Foreman said the infrequent meetings with his wife are what sustain him.

“I know her prison is just 70 metres away, and I get to see her once a month,” he said.

“For me and for Lindsay, seeing each other is the only thing that’s keeping us going right now. I love my wife dearly. She’s the love of my life.”