Four Palestine Action activists sentenced for Elbit factory raid
Four members of the activist group Palestine Action received prison terms ranging from nearly five to almost eight years after being convicted of criminal damage and assault during a raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol.
Four activists from the group Palestine Action were sentenced after a retrial for breaking into the Elbit Systems defence plant near Bristol in August 2024. The court found them guilty of criminal damage totaling £1.2 million and, in one case, causing grievous bodily harm to a police sergeant.
Samuel Corner, 23, received the longest term – seven years and eight months – for both criminal damage and the assault that fractured Sgt Kate Evans' spine. Charlotte Head, 30, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, were sentenced to five years, five years and four years and eight months respectively. All four will serve an additional year on licence after release and are ineligible for early release.
Mr Justice Johnson described the raid as an attempt to influence government policy and noted that two of the activists had livestreamed the intrusion. He said the defendants acted with “reckless” disregard for potential injuries and exercised veto power over each stage of the plan.
"What happened that night changed the life of one of our officers. For Sgt Evans, this has been deeply personal, painful and lasting," said Avon and Somerset Police Chief Constable Sarah Crew.
The Crown Prosecution Service argued that the damage had a terrorism connection, allowing for a longer sentence under UK law, which defines terrorism as serious violence or property damage intended to influence the government or public for ideological purposes.
Defence barrister Rajiv Menon KC contested the terrorism label, calling the prosecution’s approach “chilling and creeping authoritarianism” and warning that sentencing on that basis for a non-violent offence would be unprecedented.
Outside the courthouse, around 500 demonstrators gathered in support of the activists. Police reported 107 arrests and later issued a dispersal order, prompting some protesters to block a prison van believed to be transporting the sentenced individuals.
