Six Palestine Action protesters have been cleared of aggravated burglary following a trial over a break-in at a defence firm’s UK facility near Bristol.
The jury at Woolwich Crown Court found the defendants not guilty of aggravated burglary in connection with an alleged raid on a building operated by Elbit Systems UK in the early hours of 6 August 2024.
The defendants Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin had also faced charges of criminal damage and violent disorder. The jury reached partial verdicts or was unable to agree on several of those counts.
Rajwani, Rogers and Devlin were found not guilty of violent disorder. No verdict was reached on the same charge for Head, Corner and Kamio.
Corner also faced a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to an allegation that he struck a police sergeant with a sledgehammer. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on that count.
Following the verdicts, the defendants embraced in the dock and acknowledged supporters in the public gallery. Prosecutors must now decide whether to seek retrials on the unresolved charges.
The trial, which began in November 2025, heard that Head drove a prison van into the site’s perimeter fence, which was then used as a battering ram to gain entry. Prosecutors alleged the group carried sledgehammers and assaulted security guards, sprayed a fire extinguisher and used whips during the incident.
The defendants denied intending to be violent and said they acted in self-defence after security staff intervened. None of the guards involved are under criminal investigation.
Defence barrister Rajiv Menon KC told the court the defendants had not expected security guards to enter the site and had been “completely out of their depth”.
During jury deliberations, posters promoting the concept of “jury equity” were placed near the court. Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said police had repeatedly removed the signs. The judge instructed jurors to ignore external influences and decide the case on the evidence.
The court heard the defendants believed their action would support Palestinians in Gaza. The break-in occurred before Palestine Action was proscribed by the government in July 2025.
Under current law, supporting or belonging to the group is now a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.