WORLD: British law graduates ‘will admit lying over robbery’

Two British law graduates held in Brazil over falsely claiming they were robbed are to plead guilty to the charge, said their lawyer.

Shanti Andrews and Rebecca Turner, both 23, appeared in court in Rio de Janeiro yesterday accused of attempted insurance fraud but did not enter pleas.

The pair, who both studied at the University of Sussex, were bailed to a hotel in the city where they will stay until their trial on 17 August.

Their lawyer Renato Tonini said that according to Brazilian law, they would enter their pleas after evidence against them was heard.

He said: "Their guilty pleas will be said at the end of the trial."

Asked whether the pair were likely to be given prison sentences, Mr Tonini said: "I don't think that will happen. It could be a fine, it could be social service in England, social service in Brazil."

Andrews, from Frant in Kent, and Turner, from Woolton Hill, Berkshire, were held after telling police they had been robbed during a bus trip.