British woman’s ‘spirits were low’ on phone call from Iran prison

A British woman detained in Iran is “losing hope” following a recent court appearance, according to her son.

Lindsay Foreman spoke to son Joe Bennett on Thursday, the second call they have had since she was imprisoned in January.

Iranian authorities arrested Ms Foreman and her husband Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, in January and later charged them with espionage, which they deny.

Mr Bennet said a court appearance a week previously “had not gone well”.

The couple were on a motorcycle world tour when they were arrested.

Their son Joe Bennett, of Folkestone, Kent, said a lawyer for the couple facilitated a 20-minute phone call with Ms Foreman.

“There was very little my mother could say,” Mr Bennett said. “Her spirits were low.”

He said Ms Foreman’s friends and family were previously “told to expect a verdict rather than another appearance”.

Family of the detained couple said a recent meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper “produced little more than a commitment to wait for more information before deciding on next steps”.

Mr Bennett said this was “deeply concerning”.

He said: “The British are waiting for a sentence before acting, the Iranians are deciding what sentence to hand down.

“And in the middle of this diplomatic stalemate are my parents, innocent people caught between two systems moving too slowly.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was contacted for comment.

The government advises against all travel to Iran because of a “significant risk” of arrest and says connections to the UK “can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you”.

Ms Foreman was recently transferred to a different prison, which supporters said was “initially seen as positive” but left her “isolated among non-English-speaking inmates”.

Mr Foreman reportedly “continues to suffer from untreated dental problems and worsening health”.

According to Mr Bennett, “the diplomatic waiting game isn’t working” and his family “cannot carry on like this”.

“The horizon for their freedom feels hard to see, but with public support, I still believe we can get there,” he said.