Four out of six Palestine Action activists who stood trial over a break-in at an Israeli defence firm's UK site have been convicted of criminal damage. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday at Woolwich Crown Court after the jury deliberated for more than 14 hours.
Convictions and Acquittals
Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21 were all found guilty of smashing up property, including drones manufactured by Elbit Systems and computers at its factory in Filton, near Bristol, on 6 August 2024.
Corner was also found guilty by a majority of 11 to one of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Sgt Kate Evans, whom he struck with a sledgehammer. However, he was cleared of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, were acquitted of criminal damage.
Details of the Incident
The court heard that the activists used sledgehammers and crowbars they had brought with them to destroy computers, drones, and other equipment. They also used fire extinguishers to spray red paint across the walls and floor of the facility.
Retrial and Previous Verdicts
The defendants were all being retried for these offences. They had previously been acquitted of aggravated burglary, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, by another jury. In the earlier trial, jurors found Rajwani, Rogers, and Devlin not guilty of violent disorder and failed to reach a verdict on the other three defendants. Prosecutors subsequently chose not to pursue the violent disorder charges against Head, Corner, and Kamio.
Sentencing will take place at a later date.
