Four Palestine Action activists convicted of £1m rampage at Elbit Systems UK factory

Key facts

• Four activists found guilty of criminal damage at Woolwich Crown Court on 5 May 2026.
• Samuel Corner convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Sgt Kate Evans, fracturing her spine.
• Corner acquitted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent; faces max 5 years for assault.
• Two defendants, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin, acquitted of criminal damage.
• Estimated £1 million damage caused; maximum sentence for criminal damage over £5,000 is 10 years.
• Jury deliberated over 14 hours before reaching verdicts.
• All defendants except Corner sacked their barristers and gave closing speeches themselves.

Guilty verdicts after 14-hour jury deliberation

Four Palestine Action activists have been found guilty of criminal damage following a break-in at an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in August 2024. The jury at Woolwich Crown Court deliberated for more than 14 hours before returning the verdicts on Tuesday. Samuel Corner, 23, was also convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm on a police officer, while two co-defendants were acquitted. The convictions mark the culmination of a trial that exposed the group's meticulously planned raid on the Israeli defence firm's UK site. The activists, dressed in red boiler suits, used a decommissioned prison van to crash through security shutters before destroying property with sledgehammers and crowbars.

The raid: a van, red boiler suits, and £1 million in damage

On 6 August 2024, the group of six activists arrived at the Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol, in a van that had once served as a prison vehicle. They crashed through the fence and security shutters, then stormed inside wearing red jumpsuits. Once inside, they used sledgehammers and crowbars to smash computers, drones, and other equipment, and sprayed red paint from fire extinguishers across the walls and floor. 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.' The total damage was estimated at £1 million. The group said they aimed to destroy what they believed were combat drones and other military equipment destined for the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza.

Sgt Kate Evans: a fractured spine and lasting injuries

During the raid, Corner struck Sgt Kate Evans twice with a 7lb (3.2kg) sledgehammer while she was on all fours attempting to arrest another activist, fracturing her spine. Evans was unable to return to work for three months and told the court she still experienced back pain and remained on restricted duties more than 20 months later. Heer said Corner would have known the sledgehammer was capable of causing 'really serious harm'. Corner, however, told the court he panicked after being pepper-sprayed and acted to protect a co-defendant he believed was being seriously hurt. He said he 'would never want to seriously hurt anyone' and denied that violence against people was planned. The jury accepted that he did not intend serious injury, clearing him of the more serious charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He now faces a maximum of five years for the assault, rather than life imprisonment.

Defendants sack lawyers, give own closing speeches

In an unusual turn, all defendants except Corner dismissed their barristers on the Thursday before the verdicts and chose to deliver their own closing speeches. Charlotte Head, who burst into tears as her guilty verdict was read, explained: 'After some decisions made by the court, I no longer feel like they [my lawyers] are permitted to represent me in a way that does us all justice.' Zoe Rogers, who was acquitted, told the jury in her closing speech: 'I am proud that I overcame my fear and took action, because of course I was scared, you don't just break into an Israeli weapons factory for fun. And I can say with absolute certainty that this is the best thing I have ever done, because there is a good chance that because of our actions that night, innocent lives were saved.' Fatema Rajwani, also convicted, described it as a 'privilege and my honour to stand trial for disarming Israeli military drones'.

Elbit Systems denies supplying Israeli military

Throughout the trial, Elbit Systems UK consistently denied that the factory supplied weapons to the Israeli army. The prosecution presented no evidence as to what the factory actually produced, and the company has maintained that its products are not used by the Israeli Defence Forces. The activists, however, insisted they were targeting equipment that would be used in Gaza. The case has drawn attention to the ongoing protests against Elbit Systems' operations in the UK, with Palestine Action claiming responsibility for several actions at the company's sites. The convictions come amid heightened scrutiny of defence ties between the UK and Israel.

Sentencing set for 12 June; Corner faces up to five years

The four convicted activists—Charlotte Head, 30; Samuel Corner, 23; Leona Kamio, 30; and Fatema Rajwani, 21—were denied bail and remanded in custody. They are scheduled to be sentenced on 12 June. Corner faces a maximum of five years for the assault on Sgt Evans, while all four could receive up to 10 years for criminal damage, though sentences are often lower for first-time offenders. The acquittals of Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, mean they walk free. The case has left open questions about the extent of the activists' network and whether further actions are planned. For now, the focus shifts to the sentencing hearing, where the judge will weigh the severity of the damage and the lasting harm to a police officer against the defendants' stated motives.

A polarising act of protest or criminal destruction?

The trial has highlighted the deep divisions over direct action targeting companies linked to Israel's military. For the activists, the raid was a justified act of solidarity with Palestinians; for the authorities, it was a violent criminal enterprise that left a police officer seriously injured. The jury's verdicts—convicting four but acquitting two—suggest a nuanced view of the events, rejecting the most serious intent charge while still finding the core damage unlawful. As the defendants await sentencing, the case stands as a stark example of the lengths to which some protesters are willing to go, and the legal consequences that follow. The debate over the legitimacy of such actions, and the broader context of the Israel-Gaza conflict, is unlikely to subside.

The bottom line

• Four Palestine Action activists convicted of criminal damage at Elbit Systems UK factory; two acquitted.
• Samuel Corner found guilty of fracturing police sergeant's spine with a sledgehammer; faces up to 5 years.
• Estimated £1 million damage caused during the August 2024 raid near Bristol.
• All defendants except Corner sacked their lawyers and gave their own closing speeches.
• Elbit Systems UK denies supplying weapons to Israeli military; no evidence presented on factory output.
• Sentencing set for 12 June; convicted activists remanded in custody.