STORY
Four Palestine Action activists have been found guilty of criminal damage following a break-in at an Elbit Systems UK site near Bristol, with one of them also convicted over a serious physical assault on a police officer.
Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 21, were convicted at Woolwich Crown Court after a retrial relating to the incident at the Israeli-linked defence company’s facility in Filton on 6 August 2024. Two other defendants, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, were acquitted of criminal damage.
The court heard that activists entered the site after a van was driven into shutters at the premises, before damage was caused to equipment including drones, computers and other property. Prosecutors said sledgehammers, crowbars and red paint sprayed from fire extinguishers were used during the raid, with damage estimated in some reports at around £1 million.
Corner was also found guilty, by an 11-1 majority, of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Sergeant Kate Evans. He was cleared of the more serious charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Sky News reported that Sgt Evans suffered a fractured spine after being hit in the back with a seven-pound sledgehammer.