Four students accused of raping a woman at Britain’s most prestigious agricultural college have walked free from court after the case collapsed amid claims crucial new evidence had come came to light.

Leo Mahon, 22, Patrick Foster, 22, Thady Duff, 20, and James Martin, 22, were studying at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, when they were accused of raping a female student on the night of the annual Mad Hatter’s Ball in May 2014.

The case had been due to begin last month but was delayed when lawyers claimed they had “hit an iceberg” resulting in the jury being discharged.

On Monday, with the trial due to get under way, the prosecution dramatically announced it would not be offering any evidence.

While greeting the news with relief, lawyers for the four men condemned the way the case had been handled and accused the police and prosecutors of “cherry picking” some evidence while “airbrushing” other parts of the case.

Meanwhile the mother of one of the defendants described how they had been through a “horrendous” experience resulting in their lives being put on hold for almost two years.