Palestine Action protesters not guilty of Bristol burglary

A group of five protesters associated with Palestine Action have been granted bail as they await the possibility of a retrial concerning their involvement in a break-in at the UK branch of an Israeli defense contractor. The defendants—Charlotte Head (29), Samuel Corner (23), Leona Kamio (30), Fatema Rajwani (21), Zoe Rogers (22), and Jordan Devlin (31)—were acquitted on the charge of aggravated burglary connected to an incident that took place at the Elbit Systems facility near Bristol in the early morning of 6 August 2024.

Alongside the aggravated burglary charges, the group also faced accusations of criminal damage and violent disorder. However, the jury was unable to reach complete decisions on these particular charges, raising the possibility of a future retrial. While most of the protesters were released on bail following the verdict, Samuel Corner was denied bail. Court proceedings concerning the case are scheduled to resume on 18 February. The jury had spent over 36 hours deliberating after a trial that started in November 2025 at Woolwich Crown Court.

During the trial, differing outcomes emerged for the violent disorder accusations. Rajwani, Rogers, and Devlin were found not guilty of violent disorder, yet no verdict was reached for Head, Corner, and Kamio on the same charge. A significant charge against Corner involved allegedly causing grievous bodily harm with intent by striking a police officer with a sledgehammer; the jury did not come to a conclusion on this allegation. Outside the court, around 100 supporters gathered to celebrate the release of the defendants.

Palestine Action asserts that Elbit Systems UK is responsible for producing weapons supplied to the Israeli military, a claim firmly rejected by the company. The activists maintain they did not intend to use violence during their protest, despite prosecution claims that they brought sledgehammers with the purpose of confronting security personnel. They stated they acted in self-defense after security staff allegedly overreacted. Importantly, no criminal investigations have been launched against the security officers involved. During testimony, it was revealed that Head drove a prison van into the factory’s perimeter fence as part of the group’s entry plan, describing the ensuing events as “the craziest 20 minutes” of her life before their arrest. Defense counsel Rajiv Menon KC contended that the defendants were unprepared for security guards entering the site and described them as “completely out of their depth.”

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