Six British men who were jailed for more than four years after working as security guards on ships to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean will be allowed to return home after they were acquitted on appeal.



Families and friends said they were delighted by the news that the “Chennai Six” had been found not guilty of weapons charges by an appeal court in India.

The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, said diplomats had been working “tirelessly behind the scenes” to get the six former soldiers released.

The Britons have been held in India since October 2013 and were among 35 men detained while working as security guards. At the time, there was a significant risk from Somali pirates in the area, who would attack ships travelling through the Red Sea and around the Indian Ocean.

Joanne Thomlinson, whose brother John Armstrong was among the group, said she was delighted by the appeal court decision. Armstrong had been in the Parachute Regiment.

“After the last four years, I had really steeled myself to get bad news, because we’ve had so many setbacks, so when the message came through, I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “The last four years have been your worst nightmare. We never imagined when they were first arrested that it would turn into this.”

Thomlinson has only been able to talk to her brother on visits to India because the prison does not allow overseas phone calls. She last saw him last week, and he did not believe he would be released.

Nick Dunn, one of the former soldiers jailed in India on weapons charges

She said Foreign Office officials had called her to say they had contacted the superintendent of Puzhal prison in Chennai to pass on the decision.

Thomlinson said: “He’s passed on to the men the judgment. We don’t know what their reaction was. I can only imagine. They won’t be able to believe it. When I saw him, John was quite pessimistic about it all, because it has gone wrong for so long.”

The men were accused of carrying unlicensed weapons, although they told Indian investigators that they had been granted permits by the UK’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

“They were just security guards,” said Thomlinson. “The ships couldn’t get insurance without security guards to prevent piracy, so they were protecting the cargo and the seafarers.”

The British government’s head of export controls eventually confirmed to the Indian court that Vince Cable, the then business secretary, had granted licences for firearms in 2012 and 2013.

But in January 2016, the men were found guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment. “They appealed in February 2016,” said Thomlinson. “So it’s been almost two years of waiting for this. It’s just absolutely fantastic. We’re over the moon.”

After the announcement, Johnson said: “Since I became foreign secretary, this case has been a top priority for everybody at the Foreign Office and today’s verdict is fantastic news. The FCO has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to reunite these men with their families. The importance the UK government places on their case cannot be understated.

“The men, their families and their supporters, who have campaigned unrelentingly, must be overjoyed. I share their delight and I hope they can return home as soon as possible.”

Johnson has faced criticism for his handling of the case of jailed British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is currently facing years in jail in Iran.

The six men were on board the American-owned anti-piracy vessel the MV Seaman Guard Ohio when they were arrested.

A Facebook post from the campaign group said the families were “understandably delighted”. The post said: “The appeal court has today found all 35 men NOT GUILTY we now wait to hear as and when the men will be allowed home to their families.

“This may take some time whilst the authorities decide whether they agree with the outcome or wish to appeal. If they wish to appeal the men might be released from prison but not allowed back to the UK.

“But the families are understandably delighted that finally common sense and justice has prevailed.”

Yvonne McHugh, the partner of one of the men, Billy Irving, said she was pleased they had been cleared.

“They’ve all been acquitted, all 35 of them,” she said. “We are just waiting to hear how soon they’ll be home. That’s the biggest hurdle we faced and all of them have been acquitted.”

Along with Irving and Armstrong, the men are: Nick Dunn, 31, of Northumberland; Nicholas Simpson, 47, of Catterick, North Yorkshire; Ray Tindall, 42, of Chester; and Paul Towers, 54, of Pocklington, east Yorkshire.



