Sean Middlebrough, 34, from Liverpool, is being sought by police after absconding from custody during his trial at the Old Bailey. He was convicted of criminal damage in connection with an attack on Israel-linked weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems' factory in Filton, near Bristol, on August 6, 2024.
Absconded during trial
Middlebrough was among eight individuals accused of orchestrating the attack. During the two-month trial, he fled custody after being granted three days' leave to attend his brother's wedding. After he failed to return to prison, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest, yet he remained at large, with speculation mounting that he may have left the country.
The trial continued in his absence, with jurors kept in the dark as to why he was no longer in the dock. In August, he became the sole defendant to be convicted over the Elbit raid during that trial — something that can now be reported for the first time.
Guilty verdict and retrial
Following 37 hours of deliberation, the jury found Middlebrough guilty of criminal damage by a majority of nine to one. The jury was subsequently discharged after failing to reach verdicts on the remaining seven defendants, who are now set to face a retrial in June 2028. Middlebrough was also accused of a separate alleged offence alongside another defendant, who went on trial alone in September.
The earlier trial heard that none of the eight were present at the scene during the Elbit raid, but their plans included drawing up an equipment list, carrying out reconnaissance, and purchasing tools and weapons used by others, jurors were told. Each defendant was deemed "equally responsible" for the incident, having planned the attack and ensured it was carried out so "the maximum amount of damage was caused" and "to shut Elbit down for as long as possible".
Details of the alleged plot
Middlebrough was accused of transferring £890 to another individual to purchase equipment including head torches, rucksacks, sledgehammers, hammers, safety goggles, helmets and a bolt cutter. He was also alleged to be among those who travelled to Bristol, where two meeting points had been arranged at a campsite and an Airbnb. The group arrived on August 4 and departed the Bristol area in the hours following the raid two days later, the court heard. All eight defendants had denied any wrongdoing.
The prosecution was given until Monday, September 14, to decide whether to pursue a retrial for the remaining seven defendants. At Monday's hearing, Judge Patrick Field lifted a reporting restriction that had prevented the naming of Middlebrough as the convicted defendant in the case. He confirmed that the retrial of his co-accused would commence on June 19, 2028 at Woolwich Crown Court, with proceedings estimated to last up to eight weeks. However, Judge Field stated he was "not satisfied" with the 2028 date and would endeavour to secure an earlier hearing.
In a separate trial earlier this year, four other Palestine Action supporters were imprisoned after being found to have been travelling in an old prison van when it crashed into the Elbit Systems site, causing £1.2m worth of damage.
