Craig Foreman, a British man imprisoned in Iran on espionage charges, has had his sentence extended by an additional two years for speaking to the press, his family has revealed. Foreman and his wife, Lindsay, were sentenced to 10 years in February after being convicted of spying, charges they both deny. The couple, from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while traveling through Iran on a round-the-world motorcycle trip and are being held in Tehran's Evin prison.
Family expresses shock over unjustified sentence extension
Their son, Joe Bennett, said the family was 'extremely concerned' by the reports. 'We have received extremely concerning reports that Craig has been sentenced to a further two years in prison,' he said. 'We understand he was told he was being taken to see his lawyer, but was instead brought before a judge and informed of the additional sentence. Despite requests, he was allowed no lawyer, no translator and no opportunity to defend himself. He was told the two years had been added because he had spoken to the press.'
Bennett added: 'We didn't think we could be any more shocked at their appalling treatment, but in this case we are absolutely flabbergasted.'
Hunger strike continues as family appeals for mercy
In June, the couple's family said they had lost an appeal against their convictions and were unable to attend their appeal hearing. Bennett said Foreman was on the 68th day of a hunger strike, while his wife was on her 59th. A letter asking them to end the hunger strike had not been delivered. 'We are asking, with everything we have, for them to be shown mercy and allowed to come home,' Bennett said.
The family welcomed the appointment of Conservative former MP and Middle East minister Alistair Burt as the UK's first envoy for complex consular cases. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) warns all British and British-Iranian nationals not to travel to Iran due to a 'significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention'. The government previously described the couple's 10-year sentences as 'completely appalling and totally unjustifiable'. An FCDO spokesperson said the department was 'urgently following up with the Iranian authorities about the reported increased sentence'.
