British mother jailed in Iran alongside her partner ‘for spying’ is struggling so much she will only get out of bed to take her son’s phone call, he says
British mother and partner sentenced in Iran for espionage endure severe mental strain, son claims
Daily parent-child conversations are routine for countless families. For Joe Bennett, however, these exchanges have taken on a new, agonizing significance. The three-beep signal of a phone call is now his mother Lindsay Foreman’s sole connection to the outside world, as she languishes in Tehran’s Evin Prison alongside her partner Craig, both of whom received 10-year sentences last month.
The couple, aged 53 and from East Sussex, is imprisoned under accusations of spying for the UK and Israel. Despite their denials, they face harsh conditions in a prison described as overcrowded and plagued by pests. Joe, who has resigned from tech sales to advocate for their release, reports their mental health has deteriorated drastically since incarceration.
Phone calls between the pair and their son now last from two minutes to 20, with some days offering no time at all. Joe suspects this is part of a psychological strategy to erode their resilience, a tactic he believes is being used to weaken their spirits. “Every day that passes is another day that chips away at all that resilience they have built up,” he told the Daily Mail.
Their journey began in Kerman, southern Iran, on January 3, 2024, as they embarked on a global motorcycle expedition to Australia. The trip was a tribute to Lindsay’s brother, Ashley, who perished in a 1993 motorcycle accident. Equipped with Iranian visas, a guide, and a planned route, the couple was arrested while en route, charged with espionage.
Joe’s concerns grew after US-Israeli missile strikes intensified in Iran, raising fears of heightened political pressure on the prisoners. The Foremans’ legal team and the UK government have argued the charges lack foundation, with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper labeling them “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable.” Yet their bail requests were denied, and even their court defense was limited in October.
Their imprisonment has also disrupted family bonds. Spousal visits, once weekly, are now restricted to monthly, leaving the couple to endure emotional strain. “They build themselves up for a week to two weeks to see each other and it is just pulled,” Joe explained. “They’ve rarely spent a day apart in the last 10 years. Being told to return blindfolded to their cells after hope of reunion—no meeting, no explanation—is mental torture.”
Joe’s campaign has escalated, with plans to meet with Donald Trump in Washington DC this week. He feels the UK has abandoned his family, warning of “real and immediate danger.” The couple is held in separate wings of Evin, where they are joined by other political detainees, including British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
“My government has let me down. They are British citizens who appear to have been abandoned. They are in real and immediate danger,” Joe said.
Their ordeal highlights a broader pattern of psychological warfare within the prison system, as Joe contends their treatment is designed to break them. “They’ve got nothing but the four walls around them and their mind,” he added, underscoring the relentless toll of their confinement.
