Brit Channel 4 stars detained in Iran on espionage charges ‘moved to separate prisons after being subjected to torture'
PRISON HELL Brit Channel 4 stars detained in Iran on espionage charges 'moved to separate prisons after being subjected to torture'
THE British Channel 4 stars currently detained in Iran on espionage charges have reportedly been moved to separate prisons after being subjected to torture.
Husband and wife Craig and Lindsay Foreman have spent over half-a-year days in jail since being detained during a round-the-world motorbike trip.
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Craig and Lindsay Foreman have spent over half-a-year in an Iranian jail since being arrested on spy charges
Credit: Rex
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The British couple had been on a round-the-world motorcycle trip
Credit: Facebook/PPK2K RTW Motorcycle Mission
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Ever since their incarceration, the pair have hardly spoken to their loved ones and mainly had contact with the Foreign Office
Credit: Rex
The Brits entered Iran despite being warned by the Foreign Office and their family to avoid passing through the notoriously strict state.
The couple, both in their 50s, were held back in January on unspecified espionage charges.
The Iranian government claimed they were 'posing as tourists' to gather intelligence against the Middle East nation.
The couple's worried family revealed that they hadn't had any direct contact with them since their initial incarceration.
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And the Foreign Office said, until recent weeks, it couldn't confirm their whereabouts.
Now, it's thought the couple have been cruelly separated and moved from a security detention facility in Kerman, the Daily Mail reports.
Lindsay Foreman was recently transferred to Qarchak Prison, meanwhile her husband Craig was moved to Greater Tehran Prison, according to information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
The two prisons are over 20 miles from one another.
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The charity also claimed in a statement that during their detention in Kerman, the Brits were "'subjected to severe pressure and torture aimed at extracting forced confessions".
It added how their family has become understandably increasingly concerned and their well-being - especially considering the recent heightened tensions between Israel and Iran.
Brit brother & sister, 11 & 13, who drowned on Spain beach as dad tried to save them had begged for 'one last swim'
The pair first travelled into Iran from Armenia on December 30, and reportedly planned to leave by January 4, as they headed for Australia.
While in Iran they visited Tabriz, the capital Tehran, and Isfahan before staying in Kerman.
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It was here where they were picked up by police and arrested.
At the time, the Foreign Office said the couples arrest had "caused significant concern".
The couple, who had previously been featured on Channel 4's A New Life in the Sun, had ignored pleas from friends, family and the Foreign Office (FCDO) not to enter Iran.
FCDO guidance explicitly warns against all travel to the country, cautioning that British citizens could be arrested simply for their nationality.
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Despite this, the pair acknowledged the extreme risk in a social media post on December 30.
It read: 'Despite the advice of friends, family, and the FCDO (which strongly advises against travel to Iran for British nationals), we've chosen to keep moving forward.
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The pair shared pictures of them in Iran before their arrest
Credit: Facebook/PPK2K RTW Motorcycle Mission
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Brit couple Craig & Lindsay Foreman (whose faces were blurred) meeting British ambassador Hugo Shorter
Credit: X/Iran Nuances
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The couple were warned not to travel to Iran by their family and friends
Credit: Rex
'Why? Because we believe that, no matter where you are in the world, most people are good, kind humans striving for a meaningful life. Yes, we're aware of the risks.
'We also know the rewards of meeting incredible people, hearing their stories, and seeing the breathtaking landscapes of these regions could far outweigh the fear.'
The UK government has been urged to act quickly to try and free the pair.
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Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was imprisoned in Iran for six years, urged officials to move faster than they did in her case.
He said: 'My heart goes out to them, and I hope they are not in for a long ordeal, and that the government is able to respond more promptly than it did in our case."
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How brutal Hells Angel leader led gang in deadly riots, rape & rock gig killing…as ex-wife opens up on savage beating
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Brave Bethany, whose aid worker dad David was publicly murdered in 2013, dedicated her life to confronting the monsters who played a part in his torture, captivity and death. 14 Bethany Haines, the daughter of David Haines, outside the Assise Court for the trial of the French terrorist who tortured her dad Credit: Peter Allen 14 David Haines had two daughters, Bethany (pictured) and Athea Credit: SWNS 14 A horrific ISIS video of David being killed was posted online Credit: Duncan Gardham In an exclusive interview she reveals how she has travelled the world to confront ISIS's most evil men and women. Bethany tells how she had a two-and-a-half-hour showdown with one of her dad's evil torturers, gave the middle finger to one of IS's most dangerous men in Paris after he glared at her throughout a six-week trial and even travelled to Syria to meet IS brides who acted as recruiters for the terror group. 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Bethany reveals how Brit terrorist Alexander Kotey tried to goad her as she pressed him for answers in a terrifying one-on-one meeting while fellow IS member El Shafee Elsheikh snarled at her as she called out his abhorrent treatment of her father. But she says one terror attack mastermind "was the worst kind of monster that you can imagine hiding under your bed,' and left her haunted by "the deadest eyes I've ever seen". Hamas vows no peace unless key demand is met as thugs share sick clip of hostage David, 44, from Perth, was abducted while working at a refugee camp in Syria in 2013. He was held hostage by West London-raised quartet Elsheikh, Kotey, Mohammed Emwazi and Aine Davis – nicknamed The Beatles. In 2014, a video of gaunt and pale David, wearing an orange jumpsuit and kneeling next to knife-wielding British-born Emwazi - dubbed Jihadi John - horrified the world. It ended with his beheading - one of 27 the group are believed to have carried out. I was very nervous. I was about to sit opposite and look into the eyes of the man who had done so much harm to my dad Bethany Haines Emwazi died in a drone strike in Syria in 2015 while Davis, 38, was captured in Turkey in 2017 and sentenced to seven and a half years for being a member of a terrorist organisation. In 2022, Elsheikh was found guilty of hostage taking and conspiring to murder after a two-week trial in the US, while Kotey pleaded guilty to terror charges and was sentenced to life in prison. One of the conditions of Kotey's sentence was that he had to meet the loved ones of those he tormented. 'You can't inherit an apology' 14 El Shafee Elsheikh (L) and Alexanda Kotey (R) posing for mugshots Credit: Handout / Syrian Democratic Forces / AFP 14 Alexanda Amon Kotey (L) and El Shafee Elsheikh (R) were two of the brutal Islamic State cell dubbed 'The Beatles' Credit: AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File 14 Mohammed Emwazi - known as 'Jihadi John' - wearing combat gear and wielding an AK-47 Credit: Tim Stewart News/REX/Shutterstock 14 Aine Davis was the fourth 'Beatle' Credit: PA:Press Association Bethany, who is from Perthshire, flew back to the US for the showdown with Kotey, who was being held at a super-max jail and was transported to a high-security Virginia justice building for the meeting. Bethany said: 'I was very nervous. I was about to sit opposite and look into the eyes of the man who had done so much harm to my dad. I needed answers. I needed an apology but what I got was a game from Kotey. "When I got in the room, he was so relaxed, like nothing had happened. It was like chatting with someone in a café not someone who had tormented your dad. He doodled and drew spirals with a pen as I talked to him. 'He acted like it was a game. He told me things I didn't know. He said my dad was abducted after he spotted him outside a kebab house. "He said they took dad to hospital dressed as an IS fighter as he had become very ill and he blamed the other terrorists for driving the violence and torture. I took it all with a pinch of salt. 'He told me that before his beheading my dad accepted his fate and smiled. He wanted a reaction from me. He said my dad said to Mohammed Emwazi, the terrorist who beheaded him, 'make it quick'. "I could see that he was trying to make me uncomfortable and get a rise out of me. I asked him if he felt any remorse. He just came back and said, 'you can't inherit an apology'. 'I asked Kotey four times if he was sorry for abducting and torturing my dad and he just skirted around the answer. It was like getting blood out of a stone. He eventually said, 'ok, I'm sorry for kidnapping and hurting your dad'. 'That was all I needed. I told him to 'rot in hell', slammed my notes and folders down in front of him and walked out the room. I didn't want to give him another second. I wanted those words to be the last he heard from me.' 'Look of a little boy' 14 El Shafee Elsheikh was jailed for torturing and holding hostages including David Credit: Facebook 14 Kurdish security forces escort two blindfolded members of 'The Beatles' Credit: AP Photo/Hussein Malla 14 British aid worker, David, was abducted and held captive in Syria for 18 months Credit: Nicholas Razzell That same year, she flew over to the US to see fellow 'Beatle' – El Shafee Elsheikh - jailed for torturing and holding hostages, including her father, captive. She sat through every day of his trial. She said: 'I made a point of looking at him when speaking to him across the courtroom in my victim impact statement. He had the look of a little boy - someone who had done something naughty rather than being involved in the most evil of beheadings. "When I read my statement, he looked broken to start with, but I told him that there is nothing in the Quran that justifies the violence meted out to my father. I even quoted a passage back to him. I vividly remember that he just looked at me and snarled.' But in February this year, she met the most evil of her father's foes. 'Dark, dead eyes' Bethany had been tormented by the knowledge that other unknown men who had horrifically tortured and enslaved her dad had never been brought to justice. One of them was Mehdi Nemmouche, who had already been convicted of the Brussels Jewish Museum terror attack which killed four in 2014. For six weeks, she sat through every day of his Paris trial in which he was eventually found guilty of kidnapping, acts of torture, and barbarism of seven hostages – including her father - in Syria. 14 Mehdi Nemmouche during the trial for the attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels Credit: YVES HERMAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images 14 Nemmouche was found guilty of kidnapping, acts of torture and barbarism towards seven hostages - including David Credit: BENOIT PEYRUCQ/AFP via Getty Images She said: 'He was by far the most evil man I've ever met. His dark, dead eyes glared at me across the courtroom. He wanted to intimidate me. "It was the first time I felt fear. He used the courtroom as a stage. You could tell that if he had a chance he would kill everyone in that courtroom. 'He gave off an awful vibe, let any remorse, and smirked and rolled his eyes after every comment that I made to him. 'I sat through every second of his six-week trial. I read a statement to him and was very forceful. He looked into my eyes with his dark pools of deadness and kept smirking. He kept rolling his eyes and glaring over me. He was by far the most evil man I've ever met. His dark, dead eyes glared at me across the courtroom. He wanted to intimidate me Bethany Haines "It was so intense that I constantly wanted to leave the room but didn't want to give him the satisfaction. When he was sentenced to life, I hugged the person next to me, looked him in the eye and laughed. As he was taken down, I gave him the middle finger. 'I'd met lots of evil people that did terrible things to my dad but he haunted my dreams for months after seeing him. I would dream about being at Disneyland with my son and he would just be there. "I would wake up in cold sweats. Being in his presence, took months to get over. I hated him.' Nemmouche has since appealed his conviction – a decision Bethany says is 'insulting'. Terror group's brides And it wasn't just the men of ISIS that Bethany has met - she also travelled to Syria in the wake of the fall of IS in 2019. She went to a camp where she met some of the terror group's brides – some of whom had come from the UK. 14 Bethany also travelled to Syria to meet a group of IS brides Credit: Andy Barr - The Sun Glasgow 14 A young Bethany with her dad She said: 'It was a real eye-opener. I met a number of IS brides. One was from Tunisia, one was from Belgium and the other British. One felt like she'd been groomed but I later found out that she'd also been a recruiter to try to get other women over there. "She seemed completely indoctrinated, dead behind the eyes. IS had fallen but she was still defending them. It got me so angry. In some ways I felt a tiny bit of sympathy for some but others I really didn't. I'd met lots of evil people that did terrible things to my dad but he haunted my dreams for months after seeing him Bethany Haines "Some stood by IS despite them being eradicated in that area at the time and they couldn't really understand the pain and evil they were bringing to the world.' Bethany added: 'I have really seen close up every facet of the evil that IS has within its groups. It has been truly harrowing.'
The Irish Sun
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Advertisement 13 James Whale with his first wife Melinda who died from cancer Credit: Oliver Dixon - The Sun 13 James received an MBE in 2024 for his services to broadcasting and charity Credit: PA 13 Whale has issued an emotional update amid his terminal cancer battle Credit: Instagram/@jameswhaleradio No one was more surprised than him when, in April 2024 he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and charity. Advertisement He described receiving the award from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle as the 'pinnacle' of his career. 'It makes me feel very proud that somebody has recognised the fact that I've spent my entire life being rude to people for entertainment. If my parents were alive, they would be in tears. It's a great honour at the end of your life.' For, by now, he was not sure that he would make it through to the end of the year. The comfort, support and love he received from Nadine was evident in interviews they gave and in their touching but amusing podcasts. But she admitted that they were like chalk and cheese. Advertisement 'He's not my cup of tea,' she once laughed. 'If I'd Googled him, I'd have thought, 'He doesn't seem like a very nice man' and we wouldn't have got together.' Luckily for him, she had never heard of him when they first met at a village pub in Kent, the county where they settled. 'When I finally watched him at work, he was so harsh on people. After a few minutes, I thought, 'This is just horrible'. 'But he's actually really nice and kind. When you watch him at work, it's a persona. Advertisement "He can sometimes go into 'work mode' at home, and I'll have to say, 'You're not at work now. You can't cut me off.' No one's ever been nicer to me.' James retained his fondness for archery throughout his life and away from work liked to spend his time target shooting with his favourite custom made English Long Bow. Living with cancer for so long had given him time to come to terms with death. 'I'm not scared of dying,' he said, towards the end. 'I want to be buried in the churchyard at the top of the hill. It's a great view.' Advertisement 13 James Whale enters the Big Brother House for the Celebrity Big Brother launch at Elstree Studios on July 28, 2016 13 He recently moved into a hospice Credit: x/TalkTV
