Four British pro-Palestinian activists from the Palestine Action group were sentenced to prison on June 12, 2026, for their raid on the Elbit Systems UK factory near Bristol in August 2024. The attack caused more than £1 million in damage by destroying drones, computers, and other defence equipment at the facility [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The activists – Charlotte Head (30), Samuel Corner (23), Leona Kamio (30), and Fatema Zainab Rajwani (21) – were convicted of criminal damage. Corner was also found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Police Sergeant Kate Evans, whom he struck twice with a 7-pound sledgehammer, fracturing her spine, the court heard [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Judge Jeremy Johnson ruled the offences had a "terrorism connection," leading to harsher sentences than typical criminal damage cases. The judge noted the group’s ideological intent to influence UK government policy towards Israel was an aggravating factor, saying, "The action was designed to influence the government and intimidate a section of the public." He added, "You used extreme and gratuitous force against a vulnerable police officer acting in the course of her duties" [1, 2, 3].
Corner was sentenced to 7 years and 8 months in prison. Head and Kamio each received five years, while Rajwani was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months. All will serve an additional year on licence following release [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The raid targeted a defence technology firm employing around 20,000 people worldwide, with annual revenues of about US$2 billion. The activists said they aimed to dismantle drones and weapons they believed would be used in Gaza [1, 6, 2, 4, 5].
Protests outside Woolwich Crown Court during sentencing drew about 500 supporters of Palestine Action, resulting in 107 arrests. Human rights groups and public figures condemned linking the raid to terrorism and the sentences as disproportionate. Amnesty International UK’s Kerry Moscogiuri said, "Treating criminal damage like terrorism is a disproportionate and dangerous precedent" [1, 7, 4].
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government in July 2025, nearly a year after the raid, but that ban was ruled unlawful by the London High Court in February 2026 due to disproportionate impact on human rights. The government is appealing the ruling, and the High Court is expected to decide on the appeal today, June 13, 2026 [1, 7, 2].
