Police officers watch supporters outside Woolwich crown court, London, on 23 April. Photograph: Yui Mok/PAView image in fullscreenPolice officers watch supporters outside Woolwich crown court, London, on 23 April. Photograph: Yui Mok/PAFour Palestine Action activists convicted of criminal damageActivists found guilty over break-in at Israeli defence firm’s UK site after jury deliberated for more than 14 hours
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.
Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21 were all found guilty on Tuesday of smashing up property, including drones, manufactured by Elbit Systems and computers at its factory in Filton, near Bristol, on 6 August 2024.
After the jury deliberated for more than 14 hours, 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. Corner was cleared of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, were acquitted of criminal damage.
The jury at Woolwich crown court heard that the activists used sledgehammers and crowbars they had brought with them to destroy computers, drones, and other equipment, and used fire extinguishers to spray red paint across the walls and floor.
The defendants were all being retried for the offences having previously been acquitted of aggravated burglary, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, by another jury. At the previous 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.
