Six Palestine Action activists entered an Israeli-linked arms factory intending to smash up as much property as possible before police arrived, a court has heard. Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said the defendants used sledgehammers and crowbars to destroy drones manufactured by Elbit Systems and computers at its factory in Filton, near Bristol, on 6 August last year.
She said one of the accused, Samuel Corner, 23, “went further than simply using a sledgehammer to destroy property. When the police arrived, as the defendants fully expected them to, he used his sledgehammer to assault them.” Charlotte Head, 29, Corner, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, are all charged with criminal damage, with Corner also charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Sgt Kate Evans, who suffered a fractured spine.
Opening the trial at Woolwich crown court on Wednesday, Heer said: “Once inside the factory, their job was to smash up as much property as they could and to keep smashing until the police arrived to arrest them.” The court heard that at 3.30am, a van carrying the defendants crashed through the fence surrounding Elbit’s factory, followed by 12 members of Palestine Action wearing black jumpsuits shouting “Free Palestine”. The “black team” were armed with smoke grenades, flares and fireworks, as they sought “to overwhelm security guards so that the red team could break into the factory”.
Heer told the court that when police arrived, PC Aaron Buxton sprayed his Pava spray towards Corner and Devlin, and Corner struck Buxton twice before walking over to Evans who was on all fours, facing away from him, attempting to arrest Rogers. “He raised his sledgehammer over his head and brought it down forcefully over her back,” said Heer. “Having hit her once, he raised it again and hit her with it a second time … She screamed in pain. She was immediately terrified that her spine had been damaged and when she tried, she was unable to get up.” The court heard that Evans was unable to return to work for three months and has been confined to restricted duties.
Heer said that planning documents found on an encrypted website indicated that the purpose of the attack was to “Shut Elbit Down. This is our primary objective as Palestine Action.” All defendants deny the charges.
