Jurors told to 'keep cool heads' in Palestine Action activists trial
Six people are accused of carrying out an attack at Elbit Systems in Bristol
Last updated 6th Jan 2026
Jurors have been told to "keep cool heads" when they retire to consider their verdicts in the trial of Palestine Action activists accused of breaking into an Israel-based defence firm's UK site while using sledgehammers as weapons.
Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin are accused of carrying out an attack at Elbit Systems in Bristol after breaking into the factory in a prison van in the early hours of August 6 2024.
With jurors in their Woolwich Crown Court trial expected to retire later this week, Mr Justice Johnson advised them on Tuesday not to let their views on the conflict in the Middle East influence them.
"The nature of this case may excite strong emotions," he told the jury.
"But you must each keep cool heads. Your decision should be a decision in which bias, emotion, sympathy, prejudice, political views, and matters of that sort play no part."
The six defendants are each charged with aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder in relation to the alleged break-in.
Summing up the prosecution case, Deanna Heer KC said jurors may have views about the conflict in the Middle East.
"For the purposes of this trial however, your views about those matters don't matter," Ms Heer said.
"Rightly or wrongly, these defendants genuinely believed the attack on Elbit that night would help the Palestinian cause in Gaza. And it was a belief that was deeply held."
She told the court Head and Kamio were involved in planning the action, and along with Corner, Rajwani and Rogers they "smashed up" Elbit Systems' equipment in the factory, including drones and computers.
Ms Heer reminded jurors that Kamio "told you that she smashed up drones and computers, which Zoe Rogers than doused with a fire extinguisher".
Devlin may not have damaged property himself but "certainly helped the others to do so", the court heard.
Corner denies a further charge of causing police sergeant Kate Evans grievous bodily harm.
Sgt Evans previously told the trial she thought her spine was "shattered" when she was hit to her lower back while she was on her knees arresting a female activist.
"Mr Corner says he was acting in defence of another so that he is not guilty of this charge," Mr Justice Johnson told jurors. "But he also does not accept that he caused Sergeant Evans really serious harm. And he does not accept that he intended to cause her really serious harm."
Prosecutors say the six, wearing red jumpsuits, attempted to "cause as much damage as possible and obtain information about the company".
The court previously heard that as security guards tried to stop them, they were sworn at and told to leave, had sledgehammers swung at them and were whipped, while one was sprayed with a foam fire extinguisher.
Head, 29; Kamio, 30; Rajwani, 21; Rogers, 22; Devlin, 31; and Corner, 23, deny the charges against them.
The trial continues.