Palestine Action activists guilty of criminal damage

Four Palestine Action activists have been found guilty of criminal damage at a UK site of an Israel-based defence firm.

Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, broke into an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in August 2024 before destroying property and clashing with security guards and police.

Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, were acquitted of the same charge by a jury at Woolwich Crown Court earlier.

Corner was also found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm after striking Sgt Kate Evans twice with a sledgehammer, fracturing her spine. He was cleared of the more serious offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Head, Corner, Kamio and Rajwani were denied bail and remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on 12 June.

The jury heard the group, dressed in red jumpsuits, used a decommissioned prison van to crash into security shutters at the Elbit site, armed with tools.

Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC told the court: "Inside the warehouse, they set about destroying as much property as they could.

"They used crowbars and hammers to damage computers, equipment, drones and other products Elbit had manufactured," she said.

An estimated £1m worth of damage was caused during the raid.

The group said they aimed to destroy what they believed were combat drones and other military equipment that would be used by the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza.

There has been no evidence in the case as to what the factory produced.

Corner had told the court he "would never want to seriously hurt anyone" and he denied using violence against people during the raid was planned.

He told his trial it "seemed reasonable to do something" after he heard one of his fellow activists screaming and believed they were being hurt by security guards.

In a statement released after the verdicts, Avon and Somerset Police Federation chairman Tom Gent described Corner's actions as "pure evil", adding that "fracturing a brave police officer's spine with a sledgehammer is not protesting a cause".

He said peaceful protest was "a cornerstone of our democracy" but added: "This wasn't protest. This was violent and deliberate thuggery that has had devastating consequences for a courageous and dedicated police officer."

In the final stages of the case, all the defendants except Corner parted from their lawyers to address the jury directly.

Each said they stood by their actions - insisting the crime was justified - and urged jurors to clear them of criminal damage.

Rogers said: "I can say with absolute certainty that this is the best thing I have ever done.

"There is a good chance that because of our actions that night, innocent lives were saved.

"So I will never be ashamed that I was on trial, that I have spent 18 months in prison, that I may face many more."

The jury reached its verdicts after more than 14 hours of deliberations, following a retrial triggered by the first jury failing to reach verdicts on all counts.

During the first trial, the jury acquitted all the activists of aggravated burglary - a crime of intending to use violence in a break-in - which could have resulted in a life sentence.

The six defendants held hands in the dock earlier as the verdicts were read out. There were tears in the public gallery from supporters and family members.

The break-in happened before Palestine Action was proscribed by the government on 5 July 2025.

Head's defence lawyer, Rajiv Menon KC, faces contempt of court proceedings after he was accused of misleading the jury and defying judge Mr Justice Johnson's orders in the first criminal damage trial.

A hearing to consider the contempt allegation has been set for 15 June at the Court of Appeal.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.