A British couple detained in Iran believe a stalker who has spent two decades languishing in a UK maximum security jail could be the key to their release.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, 53, have called for the British government to deport Richard Jan, who was once described as Britain’s worst stalker.
The Iranian national was sentenced to life with a minimum of seven years for arson and causing public nuisance in 2004, but has languished for more than 20 years as his health deteriorates.
Iranian officials have repeatedly called for Jan to receive urgent healthcare in prison and be returned to the country.
Craig and Lindsay, both 53, were arrested on a motorbike tour a month after Jan was refused release to Iran by the Parole Board in late 2024. They were later sentenced to 10 years on espionage charges, which they completely deny.
Despite a foreign office policy not to do prisoner exchanges, the couple believe Jan is the “only avenue” to negotiating their release after his case was raised by Iranian officials in a consular meeting last December.
Craig has called for him to be deported, in line with Britain’s policy to remove over-tariff foreign offenders, adding: “If it means that they can get us out by doing a swap then why not? I believe this guy, from what I’ve heard, is fairly old now and ill. Surely if he gets back to Iran via a prisoner swap what harm could he be doing to the UK?”
A government spokesperson has said there is “no truth whatsoever to the claims of a potential exchange arrangement”.
The Independent has examined how Jan’s incarceration and the Foreman’s detention is linked:
9 July 2004: Jan sentenced
Richard Jan, a former biochemist at a hospital in north London, was handed a life sentence at London’s Guildhall Crown Court for two counts of arson with intent to endanger life and one of causing public nuisance in a seven-year stalking campaign. The minimum tariff was later set at seven and a half years.
8 August 2010: Jan eligible for deportation
Jan’s minimum tariff expired, making him eligible for deportation or to be considered for parole. Under the government’s Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme (Ters), foreign offenders must be considered for deportation once their minimum term is up. Born in north London to Iranian parents, Jan renounced his British passport in jail in anticipation of his removal.
11 March 2013: Deportation order issued
A deportation order was issued by the Home Office, but his removal was blocked by the Ministry of Justice in case it risked undermining public confidence in the criminal justice system.
3 April 2016: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe arrested
British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested by members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard at the airport as she tried to fly back to Britain after visiting family in Iran with her 22-month-old daughter.
14 January 2020: Judge rejects Jan’s judicial review
A High Court judge rejected an application from Jan’s lawyers to bring a judicial review against the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Home Office. Jan had challenged the MoJ’s decision to block his deportation because it undermined public confidence, arguing it was disproportionate.
4 October 2021: Jan refused parole
The panel admitted that they were “impressed” with the Iranian proposals and found they could “effectively manage” Jan’s complex mental health problems. However, they concluded the safeguards of lifetime licence conditions could not be imposed in Iran and refused to recommend his release there. Jan applied for this decision to be reconsidered on 1 November.
24 November 2021: Jan raised in Nazanin negotiations
At the time Jan was appealing his parole refusal, his case was raised by the then-ambassador Mohsen Baharvand in a meeting with Labour MP Tulip Siddiq over the return of her constituent, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The idea of a prisoner swap was ultimately rejected by Richard Ratcliffe, who later wrote to officials saying it was an insult which would create a “false equivalence” between the innocent British mother and a convicted criminal.
16 March 2022: Nazanin released after £400m debt settled
The mother was finally released after nearly six years in detention after Britain settled an unpaid £400m debt with Iran over a failed arms deal dating back 40 years.
14 October 2022: ‘Richard’s Tragedy’ documentary airs in Iran
A documentary on Jan’s plight first aired on Iranian state television, focusing on his life story, his ongoing imprisonment in Britain and an appeal from his mother.
5 December 2024: Jan refused parole again
A Parole Board panel once again refused to release Jan, concluding there was no point in considering the Iranian risk management plan because British authorities could not monitor him there. A judge who reviewed the refusal, after Jan applied for it to be reconsidered, noted he was “stuck in the system” but did not find the panel’s decision was irrational.
3 January 2025: Craig and Lindsay arrested in Iran
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were arrested without explanation on 3 January 2025 as they travelled from Isfahan to Kerman. They were passing through Iran on a global motorbike tour and entered via Armenia on 30 December 2024.
28 August 2025: Ambassador visits Jan in prison
Ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi visited Jan personally in HMP Frankland, Durham. In a post on X following the visit, Mr Mousavi called for “immediate action” to address his health concerns.
29 December 2025: Iranians tell Craig and Lindsay that Jan is an ‘important man’
During a consular meeting with Lindsay and Craig and a British deputy ambassador at the prison, an Iranian official announced they wanted a meeting with the ambassador about Richard Jan.
The official said he was “a really important man” who they wanted to help, raising concerns that he was not getting his medication, said the Foremans.
18 February 2026: Craig and Lindsay sentenced to 10 years
Lindsay and Craig were sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges by Judge Salavati, who also sentenced Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
February 2026: ‘Richard’s Tragedy’ rebroadcast
The documentary on Jan was rebroadcast on Iranian state television and aired in Evin prison, where it was watched by Lindsay and Craig.
21 April 2026: Minister says it is ‘absolutely obvious’ they are innocent tourists
Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer confirmed that Craig and Lindsay’s detention is an “injustice”.
“This is a terrible case, and it is absolutely obvious that they are innocent tourists, that is clear to all concerned,” he said in the House of Commons.
“We have made that point repeatedly to the Iranian regime, and I have raised it countless times with Iranian representatives, as the foreign secretary has done with her counterparts. We will continue to pursue this case; it is an injustice.”
May 2026: Craig and Lindsay launch hunger strike
Telephone contact with their family in Britain was cut off and the couple launched a hunger strike.
2 June 2026: Appeal against their sentence fails
As fears about their health intensified, it emerged that the couple’s appeal against their espionage conviction and 10-year sentence had failed in secret. Craig was on his 25th day without food and Lindsay was on her 16th when they learned their appeal bid had been rejected in a hearing they were not permitted to attend.
