British nationals Lindsay and Craig Foreman have been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran over allegations of espionage. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned the sentence of the couple as “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable”. Mr and Mrs Foreman were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through the country on an around-the-world motorcycle journey.

The couple, from East Sussex who are being held in Tehran’s Evin prison, qere later charged with spying, which they deny. The Foremans previously appeared in a three-hour long hearing at the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran in October and were not allowed to make a defence. Joe Bennett, Mrs Foreman’s son said his family was “deeply concerned” for the pair’s welfare and the “lack of transparency” in their judicial process.

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

The family said the ruling was issued by a judge at Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The couple, both in their 50s, had spent 13 months in what Mr Bennett described as “dire” conditions, saying they were exposed to dirt, vermin, and violence.

He added that they had struggled to eat and had been losing weight.

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

“One word would be: help. Full stop.” Mr Foreman said he was held in an “eight-foot cell with a hole in the floor and a sink” and spoke about the effects of 57 days in solitary confinement, adding: “Emotionally and physically, it broke me to pieces.”

He said once a month meetings with his wife are what sustain him.

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