Jurors deliberated for 36 hours and 34 minutes but ultimately failed to reach verdicts on the criminal damage charges, the allegation that Samuel Corner inflicted grievous bodily harm on Police Sergeant Kate Evans, and the violent disorder counts against Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner and Leona Kamio.
The deadlock at the end of the first trial prompted a retrial, at which a fresh jury was able to deliver convictions on the core offences. The case centred on a meticulously planned raid on the Elbit Systems UK facility in Bristol’s Aztec West business park on 6 August 2024. Prosecutors said the attack caused approximately £1 million in damage to computers, drones and other equipment.
The criminal damage charges
Six activists were originally charged with criminal damage following the raid. The prosecution alleged they used a prison van as a battering ram to crash through shutters and fences, then entered the site armed with sledgehammers and crowbars to destroy equipment. Fire extinguishers were also used to spray red paint over the premises.
At the retrial, Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 21, were found guilty of criminal damage. Two other defendants, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, were acquitted of the same charge. All six had previously been cleared of aggravated burglary, and the violent disorder charges against them were later dropped.
The grievous bodily harm charge
Samuel Corner faced two alternative counts relating to the injury suffered by Police Sergeant Kate Evans during the raid. He was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent, but cleared of the more serious charge of grievous bodily harm with intent.
The court heard that Corner struck Sergeant Evans twice on the back with a sledgehammer. She testified that she feared her spine had been “shattered” and that she might be left paralysed. The officer sustained a fractured spine and has since been on restricted duties, suffering from ongoing back pain.
The defendants and group background
Palestine Action, the direct-action movement behind the raid, was founded in July 2020 with the stated aim of ending what it describes as global participation in Israel’s “genocidal and apartheid regime”. The group targets the UK arms industry, which it accuses of complicity in alleged Israeli actions. Its co-founders are Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard. In late 2023 the group released “The Underground Manual”, which reportedly offers advice on carrying out attacks and evading arrest.
On 5 July 2025, the UK government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000, following an incident in which activists allegedly broke into RAF Brize Norton and vandalised two military aircraft. However, on 13 February 2026, the High Court ruled the proscription unlawful, stating it was disproportionate and breached human rights. The court noted that while Palestine Action engages in criminality, its actions did not meet the “level, scale and persistence” required for proscription. The government is appealing that decision, and the ban remains in place pending the outcome. The appeal hearing concluded in late April 2026.
Civil liberties groups, UN experts and legal scholars have criticised the ban, arguing it conflates protest with terrorism and infringes on freedom of speech and assembly. Since proscription, more than 2,700 people have been arrested for displaying support for Palestine Action, often by holding placards — a move that has drawn further condemnation from human rights organisations.
Elbit Systems UK and the wider legal picture
Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest private defence contractor and a significant global arms exporter, described as the backbone of the Israeli military’s drone fleet. Its UK subsidiary, Elbit Systems UK, has multiple sites across the country. Palestine Action accuses the company of supplying arms used in alleged Israeli military operations; Elbit Systems UK has stated it does not supply arms directly to Israel, though its website indicates it supplies military drones to the Israeli military.
The group claims its actions have cost Elbit Systems millions of dollars and contributed to contract cancellations. Elbit Systems UK reported an operating loss of £4.7 million in the year to September 2025, compared with a profit of £3.8 million the previous year. One subsidiary reported a 75 per cent fall in operating profit due to increased security costs after being targeted by Palestine Action. The Bristol site in Aztec West appears to have closed unexpectedly in September 2025 following repeated protests.
Other legal actions against Palestine Action activists include the sentencing of seven activists to suspended sentences and compensation orders in May 2024 for a 2022 raid on an Elbit Systems HQ; the conviction of five activists in August 2024 for a 2022 protest against Thales UK; charges of assault against three activists in February 2025 after a raid on an Elbit facility; and the sentencing of three activists to 20 months’ custody in April 2026 for an attack on the Teledyne Defence and Space factory.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC described the raid on the Bristol facility as “meticulously organised” and aimed at “causing as much damage as possible and obtain information about the company”. Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, has said direct action was the only route left due to a lack of democratic process regarding Palestine, and described the High Court’s ruling against proscription as a “monumental victory”. Police Sergeant Kate Evans, reflecting on her injuries, said she feared her spine had been “shattered” and that she might have been “paralysed”.
