Convictions quashed for men who drove dinghies across Channel

Appeals court rules in favour of men filmed piloting small boats after prosecutors misunderstood' law

The convictions of four asylum seekers for driving small boats across the Channel have been found unsafe by the court of appeal in a ruling that identified systemic failings in such prosecutions.

The three judges in the case said the convictions must be quashed in due course". Three of the men who appealed had their convictions quashed on Tuesday; a fourth man's appeal is pending as the Crown Prosecution Service is seeking a retrial of his case.