Two cleared after people smuggling case dropped

Two men accused of running boat trips to bring migrants into the UK have been cleared after prosecutors dropped the case in the third week of their trial.

Tony Williams, 60, of Lydford, north Devon and Monet Roberts, from London, had faced charges at Plymouth Crown Court of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration at two south Devon beaches.

Williams had been accused of being involved in a run that brought 17 migrants to Slapton Sands in June 2022 and along with Roberts of a separate plot linked to Mothecombe Beach in July 2023. Williams said he had acted out of fear for his family.

The prosecution told the court after a fresh review of the evidence it would not be continuing with the case. Judge Matthew Turner ordered not guilty verdicts for both men.

Jurors were told previously that a local boatman spotted a vessel "looking out of place" at Pilchard Cove in south Devon before it headed to nearby Slapton Sands one morning in June 2022.

The court heard that Williams had told investigators he had piloted the boat with 17 people on board, some carrying suitcases.

The court was also told that Williams admitted making several similar trips, but claimed he acted out of fear, not greed, saying his family had been threatened by an enforcer.

A mother and son camping nearby saw two men meet the group and take them to people carriers, the court heard. The taxi drivers later said they were paid £500 each by an east European man to take the passengers to Brent Cross in north London.

Williams sailed on to Plymouth where Border Force were waiting for him. He was arrested in December 2022 and bailed.

Roberts was found on the 30ft (9m) vessel Timberwolf with Williams at Mothecombe Beach in July 2023 after a witness saw a group of men walk up the beach from the yacht.

But Roberts claimed he had been hoodwinked into the enterprise and he "simply did not know what was going on".

A CPS spokesperson said after the case that prosecutors had to "take account of any change in circumstances" in the case "to ensure that there is sufficient evidence for a conviction and it is in the public interest to continue with a prosecution".

"Following a recent review, we concluded that this case no longer met that standard," it said.

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