NAZANIN Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the wife of former Farnham man Richard Ratcliffe, has been sentenced to five years in jail in Iran.

The British-Iranian charity worker was sentenced on September 6 by the Revolutionary Court on “secret charges”.

The charges have still not been revealed to Nazanin’s family in Iran or in the UK.

Nazanin, who is expected to serve her time in Evin prison, confirmed her sentence to her husband in a phone call, where she said: “Five years is ridiculous. For what? We will appeal. But I don’t know how long it will take, how long it will last. Months? They said that sometimes you can settle cases on appeal through payment, but not often cases like mine.”

Husband Richard, a former St George’s School pupil, said: “A sentence with secret charges still seems crazy. Literally, it is a punishment without a crime. It remains extraordinary that Nazanin’s interrogators clarify the sentence but not the crime. Because there is none.”

The couple have a two-year-old daughter, Gabriella.

Nazanin’s family have requested her lawyer appeal the decision, but no date for the appeal has been set.

It was reported last month that her health was deteriorating, as she continued to lose weight and her hair, while she also lacked physical strength.

Evin prison has been described as a “torture chamber” and Nazanin told her husband: “I can’t bear to be in this place any longer. It has been horrendous. I do not want to wake up each morning and remember where I am. I want to stay in my dreams.”

She was detained in April when she was accused of attempting to overthrow Iran’s government, while others believe she is being used as a political pawn.

Richard told his wife that he met recently with the UK minister for Middle East and consular affairs, Tobias Ellwood, who stressed that the case is a personal priority for him and he is following it closely.

Speaking to Nazanin on the phone, he said: “I told her she has nothing to apologise for. Her head will always be high.

“She is much loved, more than 800,000 people have signed her petition, and I have thousands of messages for her to read one day. They keep me going now. They will be so important for her journey back once this cruelty is over.”

“I told her we so look forward to having her home,” he added.

Nazanin’s petition, is at change.org/p/david-cameron-mp-free-nazanin-ratcliffe.