Two men accused of helping smuggle migrants into the UK by boat have been cleared after prosecutors offered no evidence as their trial.

At Plymouth Crown Court on 31 March, the prosecution said it would not proceed with its case against Tony Williams and Monet Roberts following a review of the evidence.

Matthew Turner, the trial judge, directed the jury to return not-guilty verdicts on all counts, and both men were formally acquitted.

Williams, 60, of Lydford, and Roberts, from London, had denied charges of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration into the UK.

The case centred on allegations that Williams brought 17 migrants ashore at Slapton Sands on 15 June 2022, and a separate incident involving both men off Mothecombe in July 2023.

Opening the trial earlier in March, prosecutor Frederick Hookway told jurors that Williams had admitted chartering a boat to deliver migrants to the south Devon coast and expected to be paid.

The court heard that a local boatman reported seeing a vessel “looking out of place” in Pilchard’s Cove before it moved towards the beach at Slapton Sands.

A mother and son camping nearby told the court they saw two men escort the group along the beach before they were driven away in two people-carrier taxis.

The drivers later said they had been paid £500 each by an eastern European man to take the passengers to Brent Cross in north London.

Prosecutors also alleged that Williams told investigators he had made similar crossings and expected about £3,000 per migrant, potentially earning tens of thousands of pounds per trip.

Williams had said he acted under duress after threats were made against his family, a claim the prosecution had previously disputed.

Roberts maintained he had been unaware of any plan to bring migrants into the country and said he had been misled about the nature of the trip.

Following the Crown’s decision to offer no evidence, Judge Turner directed the jury to acquit both defendants.