Four convicted over Elbit Systems Bristol raid; one guilty of striking officer with sledgehammer
Four members of Palestine Action found guilty of criminal damage in the Elbit Systems Bristol raid, with one convicted of grievous bodily harm.
The Woolwich Crown Court verdicts on Tuesday found four of six activists guilty for an August 2024 attack on Elbit’s Filton research facility, in a case tied to the Elbit Systems Bristol raid that caused roughly £1 million in damage. The court convicted Charlotte Head, 30; Samuel Corner, 23; Leona Kamio, 30; and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 21, while acquitting Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31. One defendant, Corner, was additionally convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm after prosecutors said he struck a police officer with a sledgehammer.
Verdict at Woolwich Crown Court
Jurors reached guilty verdicts on criminal damage counts after a trial that examined the August 2024 incursion into the Elbit facility in Filton, southwest England. The court heard evidence from each defendant, and the bench delivered its decisions on Tuesday following closing submissions.
Prosecutors said the activists, identified as members of the now-proscribed group Palestine Action, caused approximately £1 million of damage to drones and research equipment. The convictions follow earlier proceedings in which the same defendants were acquitted of aggravated burglary.
Details of the Filton raid
According to the prosecution, the six activists entered the Elbit Systems UK compound in August 2024 and deliberately damaged military drones and associated research apparatus. The action was staged at a time of heightened international attention on the conflict in Gaza that began in October 2023.
The defendants acknowledged damaging equipment during their testimony but framed their actions as targeted attacks on military systems rather than at individuals. Authorities subsequently assessed the financial and operational impact of the raid as significant to the site’s research capacity.
Defendants’ testimony and stated motive
Each defendant gave live evidence to the jury, with defence teams describing the acts as intended to prevent further harm in Gaza. Lawyers for the group said the activists believed they were disrupting military capability to “save lives,” a rationale presented in mitigation during the trial.
Despite those assertions, the jury convicted four of the six on criminal damage charges, and found Corner guilty of causing grievous bodily harm after the prosecution presented evidence that he struck an officer with a sledgehammer during the incident. Two defendants, Rogers and Devlin, were found not guilty on the charges before the court.
Earlier acquittals and dropped charges
This trial followed an earlier jury process in which all six defendants were cleared of aggravated burglary, and the previous jury failed to reach verdicts on criminal damage counts. The most serious burglary allegations were therefore not sustained across trials.
Prosecutors also dropped violent disorder charges against all six defendants prior to the latest verdicts, narrowing the case to criminal damage and the separate assault allegation. The mixed outcomes across hearings have highlighted the legal complexities surrounding direct-action protests.
Proscription and legal challenge
The UK government moved to proscribe Palestine Action under terrorism legislation in July 2024, days after other activists breached an air force base in southern England. That designation has since been legally contested, with London’s High Court ruling the proscription unlawful in a subsequent challenge.
Despite the High Court decision, the group remains banned while the government pursues an appeal that was heard last week. The ongoing legal dispute over proscription adds a political and judicial dimension to the criminal proceedings against the activists.
Elbit Systems’ profile and damage assessment
Elbit Systems is an Israeli defence technology company with global operations, employing roughly 20,000 people and reporting multi‑billion dollar revenues in recent years. The Filton site is part of the firm’s UK research and development footprint and specialises in unmanned aerial systems and related technologies.
Company statements and court materials placed the estimated repair and replacement bill from the raid at about £1 million, reflecting damage to specialist equipment and facilities. The incident prompted security reviews at defence-related sites and renewed public debate over protests targeting military suppliers.
The verdicts in the Elbit Systems Bristol raid case close one chapter of a multi‑layered legal saga that has combined criminal trials, constitutional challenges to proscription, and public controversy over direct-action tactics. As the government’s appeal against the High Court ruling proceeds, attention is likely to remain on how authorities balance national security, public order and the rights of protest in cases involving politically motivated sabotage.