UK – Independent, Mar. 05, 2026
As bombs fall in Iran, British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman are stuck in jail serving a 10-year sentence on espionage charges they deny. Here, Joe Bennett tells Radhika Sanghani how his mum is coping as prisoners are forced to hide under their beds while bombs explode nearby
I was on the phone to my mum when I heard bombs dropping in Iran,” says Joe Bennett. “It was mass panic. You could hear the hysteria in the background in the prison. I didn’t know what to say, hearing my mum reacting in fear to something that can take people’s lives away in an instant. It’s just madness.”
Joe’s mother, Lindsay Foreman, 53, is currently being held in Iran’s notorious Evin prison, along with his stepfather, Craig. The east Sussex couple were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran on a round-the-world motorcycle trip. Last month, on 17 February, they were sentenced to 10 years in jail on espionage charges they firmly deny.
The 10-year sentence was a shock to their family – business coach Lindsay has two sons, Joe and Toby, while carpenter Craig has two children, Kieran and Chelsea, from a previous marriage. “It’s just bonkers,” says Joe. “I refuse to believe I won’t see my mum for 10 years. This is not a legitimate situation. They’re innocent. I won’t let this happen.”
But the recent attacks on the Gulf state have taken everything to another level. “They’re stuck inside jail in the middle of a warzone,” says Joe. “They’re hanging on in there, but there’s obviously mass panic and worry. They’re in the country – they can feel it, and hear it. With jets going off and bombs overnight, there’s not a lot of sleep happening. They’re trying to be as defiant as possible, but it’s heartbreaking.”
