Telford couple 'groomed' into supplying parts for Iran's nuclear programme to appeal against conviction

Paul and Iris Attwater, from Ketley, were last year found to have smuggled prohibited aircraft parts to Alexander George, 76, in Malaysia from their company Pairs Aviation.

Mr Attwater had admitted a charge of being knowingly concerned in the exportation of goods with intent to evade prohibition or restriction.

Mrs Attwater denied the charge but was convicted after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Sentencing Judge Michael Grieve QC said the couple had been naive, and that George, who was jailed for two-and-a-half years, had misled them.

He said: “The fact that you were, in effect, groomed by Mr George I accept – he deceived you.

“I do not, for one moment, think that either of you are bad people. You have, in my view, been very, very naive.”

The Attwaters were found to have smuggled prohibited dual-use aircraft parts sourced from the US to 77-year-old George's firms in Malaysia through their firm Pairs Aviation for onward travel to Iran.

They have now spoken of their ordeal and told the Times newspaper how they were "duped" by George.

Duped

Mr Attwater, 65, said: “It made us feel sick when we were shown evidence that our parts went to Iran. We thought they were going to Singapore. They’ve made us out to sound like we were international arms dealers but that’s crazy.

"In court I just sat there thinking, ‘this must be happening to someone else’.”

Mrs Attwater, 66, added: “We were completely duped by him. He knew what he was doing. He just lied to us.”

Mr Attwater also told how they are trying to live with the uncertainty surrounding their future.

He said: "We try to be strong for our kids and grandkids. But our hearts are breaking inside because we don’t know what is going to happen to us."

The Times says the pair are now appealing against their convictions on the grounds that they were not afforded the opportunity to conduct a full defence.

George Hepburne Scott, their barrister, said a judge’s ruling stopped him from putting to the jury a defence that the Attwaters’ mental state meant that they had no intention of evading customs, even though that was the ultimate effect of the company structure.

Mr Hepburn Scott said that during his closing speech he was also not able to argue that although the parts went to Iran, they were not proven to be military in nature.

He said: “These are not bad people. They overwhelmingly dealt only with civilian parts. They were deceived by a sophisticated offender.”

George was convicted at trial of being knowingly concerned in the supply or delivery of controlled goods to an embargoed destination.