If you could escape prosecution by saying you were under pressure from a superior then a chief executive could say the board told him to do it. And the board could say God was talking to them.
Everyone is a little person to someone, even Brooks.
To have a reasonable chance of conviction the CPS would have to show that people weren't just carrying boxes with no idea what was inside them. They must believe they can do that.
If convicted, anyone can argue they were coerced and didn't stand to gain the benefits of their superiors. If true it would be taken into account on sentencing.
But much as I feel sorry for anybody under pressure to do anything, you can't say: 'Oh well, we'll let you off then.'
The law says you have to say: 'Get stuffed. I'm going to the police and I'll take the consequences of anything I've done up until now.' That's how it should be otherwise, where would we be?
I imagine they've not stopped wishing they did that since the arrests.