Six activists linked to the campaign group Palestine Action are to face a retrial after a jury failed to reach verdicts on a series of charges following a break-in at a factory owned by Israeli Elbit Systems.
The six defendants -- Samuel Corner, 23; Charlotte Head, 29; Leona Kamio, 30; Fatema Rajwani, 21; Zoe Rogers, 22; and Jordan Devlin, 31 -- were accused over a raid at the company's factory in Bristol, southwest England, in August 2024.
Earlier this month, a jury at Woolwich Crown Court found all six not guilty of aggravated burglary, the most serious charge they faced.
However, after more than 36 hours of deliberations, jurors failed to reach verdicts on a charge of criminal damage against all six defendants.
Rajwani, Rogers and Devlin were found not guilty of violent disorder, while the jury could not reach verdicts on the same charge for the remaining three defendants.
The jury also failed to reach a verdict on an additional charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent against Corner, a graduate of the University of Oxford.
At a hearing following the verdicts, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC confirmed the Crown would seek a retrial on the unresolved charges.
Justice Johnson set a provisional date of Feb.16, 2027, for the retrial.
After the verdicts were returned, all of the defendants except Corner were granted bail, having spent around 18 months in custody.
The court also heard that aggravated burglary charges against 18 other defendants accused of involvement in the same Bristol raid are being dropped. However, they will continue to face trial on other allegations.
"All remaining Filton24 defendants have just been found NOT GUILTY of aggravated burglary, the most serious charge they faced. This comes two weeks after the first six were acquitted of the charge by a jury. Many will now apply for bail. Free them all," the co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, wrote on the US social media company X.
