Full Breakdown
Four Palestine Action Activists Sentenced for “Terrorist-Connected” Raid on Elbit Systems UK
6/14/2026, 4:35:41 AM
The Raid and Sentencing
On 6 August 2024 a quartet of Palestine Action members – Charlotte Head (30), Samuel Corner (23/27), Leona Kamio (30) and Fatema Zainab Rajwani (21) – entered the Elbit Systems UK facility in Filton, near Bristol. Wearing red boiler suits, they used a prison-van, sledgehammers and crowbars to destroy computers, drones and other equipment, causing damage estimated at £1.2 million. At the trial in Woolwich Crown Court (May 2026) the four were convicted of criminal damage; Corner was additionally found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm after striking Sgt Kate Evans with a sledgehammer, fracturing her spine. Judge Jeremy Johnson applied a “terrorist connection” under section 69 of the Sentencing Act and imposed custodial terms of seven years eight months for Corner, five years for Head and Kamio, and four years eight months for Rajwani. The ruling bars early release and imposes a 15-year terrorist-notification requirement.
Background: Palestine Action, the Ban and Legal Context
Palestine Action, founded in 2020, campaigns against companies it says enable Israeli military operations in Gaza. In July 2025 the UK Home Office proscribed the group under the 2000 Terrorism Act. The High Court declared the proscription “disproportionate” and unlawful in February 2026, but the government has appealed; a judgment is due 15 June 2026. The 2024 Elbit raid was cited by the Home Office as a key incident prompting the original ban.
Key Participants and Injuries
The four defendants were all first-time offenders. Corner’s attack on Sgt Evans caused a spinal fracture; Evans later testified that the incident left her with disturbed sleep, panic and lasting physical effects. No other protesters were reported injured.
Scale of Damage and Financial Impact
Elbit’s impact statement listed damage to 41 military assets, including “Magni X” and “Thor” drones, and an insurance claim of £1.2 million. The raid also disrupted IT systems and office equipment.
Official Judicial Reasoning
Justice Johnson stated the offences were “designed to influence the United Kingdom government and intimidate a section of the public … for the purpose of advancing a political or ideological cause.” Prosecutor Deanna Heer (CPS) argued the scale of property damage and the intent to shut down Elbit satisfied the statutory terrorism definition. Avon and Somerset Police chief constable Sarah Crew emphasized the personal harm to Sgt Evans and the broader threat to public safety.
Opposition and Human-Rights Critique
Amnesty International UK chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri warned that “criminal damage has never been treated as terrorism … it is dangerous to treat them as the same thing.” Defence barrister Rajiv Menon KC described the finding as “an invitation to chilling, creeping authoritarianism that undermines the very fabric of our society.” An open letter signed by over 100 public figures, including author Sally Rooney and activist Greta Thunberg, called the sentencing a “miscarriage of justice.”
Public Reaction and On-the-Ground Reports
Approximately 500 demonstrators gathered outside Woolwich Crown Court; police reported 72–107 arrests of supporters. Protesters chanted “Saving lives is not terrorism” and, after sentencing, Head shouted, “In order to hear the birds, the warplanes must be silent.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on Corner’s age (23 vs 27) and exact sentence length (seven years eight months vs eight years eight months). Arrest numbers vary between 72 and 107. Detailed inventories of the damaged drones are not uniformly disclosed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Each defendant agreed to take part in high-level actions, and did so with the shared aim of shutting down Elbit and ending what they regarded as British complicity in Israeli war crimes,” — Judge Jeremy Johnson
- “I experience disturbed sleep, often waking in a panicked state or after distressing dreams.” — Sgt Kate Evans
- “Criminal damage has never been treated as terrorism within the UK justice system before and it is dangerous to treat them as the same thing,” — Kerry Moscogiuri, Amnesty International UK
- “an invitation to chilling, creeping authoritarianism that undermines the very fabric of our society” — Rajiv Menon KC (defence)
- “The action was designed to influence the UK government and also to intimidate a section of the public, and was for the purpose of advancing an ideological or political cause.” — Deanna Heer KC (CPS)
What’s Next
The Court of Appeal will decide on the government’s appeal against the High Court’s ruling on the proscription of Palestine Action. The sentencing also raises a potential precedent for applying “terrorist connection” findings to non-violent property offences, a point likely to be examined in future judicial reviews and parliamentary debates.
