Jury retires in trial of Palestine Action activists accused of factory break-in
Six defendants deny charges linked incident at an Israeli defence firm's UK site in Bristol
The jury has retired to consider its verdicts in the trial of six Palestine Action activists accused of breaking into an Israeli defence firm's UK site with sledgehammers as weapons.
Prosecutors allege Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin carried 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, wearing red jumpsuits.
Their trial, at Woolwich Crown Court, has heard that Head and Kamio were involved in planning the action and, along with Corner, Rajwani and Rogers, they "smashed up" equipment in the factory.
Devlin may not have damaged property himself but "certainly helped the others to do so", prosecutors previously said.
Prosecutors say the six, each charged with aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder, attempted to "cause as much damage as possible and obtain information about the company".
Corner, 23, is also accused of causing Police Sergeant Kate Evans grievous bodily harm.
Jurors heard that Corner, an Oxford University graduate, "genuinely thought" that Kamio or Rogers was being seriously injured when he brought the sledgehammer down on to Sergeant Evans.
Sergeant Evans told the trial she thought her spine was "shattered" when she was hit on her lower back while she was on her knees arresting a female activist.
The court previously heard that as security guards tried to stop the six, 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.
Charity worker Head, 29; nursery teacher Kamio, 30; university student Rajwani, 21; Rogers, 22, a student who was due to start a degree in autumn 2024; metal worker Devlin, 31; and Corner deny all the charges against them and the jury retired at 11.35am on Tuesday to consider its 19 verdicts.