UK jury convicts four Palestine Action activists over Elbit Systems factory break-in

LONDON: A jury on Tuesday convicted four Palestine Action activists of criminal damage in 2024 at the UK premises of Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems, the first convictions in the protracted, high-profile case. The verdict against the activists follows a retrial, after a different jury in February cleared the four and another pair of aggravated burglary but failed to reach verdicts regarding criminal damage and several other charges against some of the six. The group were accused of breaking into the Elbit site in Bristol, western England, in August 2024 and causing more than $1.35 million of damage. Elbit Systems is a defence technology company with around 20,000 staff and revenues of $2 billion, according to the firm’s website. After deliberating for more than 14 hours, jurors at the new trial found Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Rajwani guilty of destroying Elbit’s equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars during the raid. By a majority of 11 to one, they also found Corner guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm, but cleared the 23-year-old of the more serious charge of grievous bodily harm with intent. The jury found Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin — two other activists, already cleared in February of aggravated burglary — not guilty. The latest trial at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London heard the activists were in a decommissioned prison van that Head, 30, crashed into shutters at the Elbit site in the early hours of August 6, 2024. Wearing red boilersuits, the four convicted then began damaging equipment before clashing with security guards and police. They claimed their purpose was to “dismantle drones and weaponry” they believed would be used to kill people. Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2026

Palestine Action defendants found guilty of criminal damage charges in arms factory raid Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Tue, 05/05/2026 - 15:00 Four defendants were found guilty of criminal damage charges, while two were acquitted A video posted on X shows activists breaking equipment inside the Elbit Systems factory in Filton in August 2024 (Screengrab) Off A UK court has found four Palestine Action activists guilty of criminal damage charges following a break-in at an Israeli-owned arms factory. On Monday, after over 14 hours of deliberations,  Leona Kamio, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Fatema Rajwani, 21, and Charlotte Head, 29, were found unanimously guilty by jurors at Woolwich Crown Court on charges of criminal damage in connection with a raid on an Elbit Systems plant near Bristol on 6 August 2024. Corner was acquitted of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent for striking a police officer with a sledgehammer, but convicted of the lower offence of GBH without intent. Two other activists, Jordan Devlin, 31, and Zoe Rogers, 22, were acquitted of charges of criminal damage. Days before the jury retired, the defendants dismissed their defence lawyers and delivered their own closing speeches, saying that their lawyers were no longer able to represent them due to a "decision made by the court". Initially, the jury had been directed by Mr Justice Johnson to deliver a unanimous verdict. But on Tuesday, he told jurors he would consider majority verdicts on the different counts. As the verdicts were read out, the defendants held hands in the dock, while supporters looked on and wept. The verdicts follow a previous trial, in which the first jury acquitted all defendants of charges of aggravated burglary, which can carry a life sentence. Palestine Action London News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0