Students win insurance fraud appeal
Two British law graduates held in Brazil for insurance fraud have been acquitted after a successful appeal, according to their lawyer.
Shanti Andrews and Rebecca Turner, both 23, were arrested in July after telling police they had been robbed while backpacking.
Miss Andrews, from Frant, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and Miss Turner, from Woolton Hill, near Newbury, Berkshire, pleaded guilty to attempted insurance fraud and were sentenced to 16 months in prison.
A judge later converted the punishment to a community service penalty.
Lawyers for the two University of Sussex graduates, who have been staying in an apartment in Rio de Janeiro, lodged an appeal in August when two further charges were added.
Brazil's High Court in Brasilia found police had obtained information to secure their arrest illegally and overturned the convictions, according to lawyer Renato Tonini.
He said: "They were acquitted on every charge.
"The police did not observe the rules under Brazilian law to go into somebody's room.
"They did not have an order from the judge to go into the room.
"The High Court recognised this and decided to acquit."
Mr Tonini said the women's passports had been returned and they were now free to leave Brazil, although he did not know when they would return to the UK.