British bikers Lindsay and Craig Foreman jailed in Iran for ten years

Lindsay and Craig Foreman, the British couple riding around the world on motorcycles, have been handed a 10-year jail sentence in Iran after being accused of espionage – a charge their family insist is baseless.

the Foremans, a Sussex couple in their 50s, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran as part of a round-the-world bike trip. This week, a judge at Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced them to a decade behind bars.

They are being held separately inside Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, a facility long criticised by human rights groups for alleged torture and inhumane conditions.

The Foremans’ problems began at the start of 2025, when the couple entered Iran as part of their global motorcycle journey. Iranian authorities then detained them, charging them both with spying – an allegation they, and their family, strenuously deny.

Throughout 2025, the pair were held in Evin prison in what their family describe as “dire” conditions. According to Lindsay’s son, Joe Bennett, they were surrounded by “dirt, vermin, and violence” and were losing weight.

In October 2025, the Foremans appeared at a three-hour court hearing in Tehran, during which the family said they were not permitted to mount a defence. It took until early 2026 for a judge at Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court to deliver their verdict – 10 years each for espionage. According to their son, at no point was any evidence of spying presented.

Bennett has been outspoken since his mother and stepfather were detained. He says their Iranian lawyers made it clear there was no legal basis for the case, but that bail applications were ignored.

He describes himself as “sick with worry”, adding that the family feel “abandoned” after letters to the prime minister and foreign secretary went unanswered.

Following the sentencing, Bennett said the family were “deeply concerned about their welfare” and called on the UK government to “act decisively and use every available avenue” to bring them home.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper branded 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.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has long advised against all travel to Iran, warning that British nationals, particularly dual citizens, risk detention simply due to their links to the UK.

The Foremans’ case sits within a broader and uncomfortable pattern.

Iran has detained dozens of dual nationals and foreign residents in recent years, typically on national security or espionage charges. At least 15 detainees have had links to the UK. Human rights organisations argue that such prisoners are frequently used as diplomatic leverage.

In 2022, British-Iranian nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released after the UK settled a long-standing £650m debt owed to Iran.

French nationals Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris and Olivier Grondeau, along with German citizen Nahid Taghavi, were also freed after sustained diplomatic pressure from their respective governments, according to their families.

RTW Riders caught in geopolitics

For motorcyclists, the story cuts close to home, as the Foremans aren’t political operatives or diplomats – they are overlander bikers ticking off countries on a global route. Iran has long featured on bucket-list ride plans thanks to its landscapes and scenery, but the Foreign Office warning is clear: If you carry any connection to the UK, you could be at risk.

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