How Palestine Action defendants ended up back in prison

AI Summary

Palestine Action defendants have been sentenced to prison, sparking outrage among their families. The decision followed a trial deemed unfair, with the activists being previously acquitted of several charges before being retried.

How Palestine Action defendants ended up back in prison Katherine Hearst on Fri, 05/08/2026 - 16:00 Families of defendants condemn 'cruel' decision after a trial marked by severe restrictions and impossible demands The defendants from left to right: Jordan Devlin, Leona Kamio, Charlotte Head, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Samuel Corner (Screengrab/X) Off The families and lawyers of four Palestine Action defendants found guilty on criminal damage charges have condemned the “cruel” decision to immediately send them back to prison pending sentencing. Last Tuesday, after more than 14 hours of deliberations, Leona Kamio, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Fatema Rajwani, 21, and Charlotte Head, 29, were found unanimously guilty by jurors at Woolwich Crown Court in London on charges of criminal damage in connection with a raid on an Elbit Systems plant near Bristol on 6 August 2024. Corner was acquitted of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent for striking a police officer with a sledgehammer, but found guilty by a majority of 11 to one of the lower offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent. Two other activists, Jordan Devlin, 31, and Zoe Rogers, 22, were acquitted of charges of criminal damage. The defendants were all being retried for the offences after the jury in the initial trial cleared them of charges of aggravated burglary. In the previous trial, Rajwani, Devlin and Rogers were also found not guilty of violent disorder charges, while the jury did not return a verdict on the same charge for the other three defendants. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) subsequently dropped violent disorder charges against Head, Corner and Kamio. The six had, prior to their initial acquittal, spent 18 months in prison - in excess of the UK’s standard pre-trial custody time limits. They were granted bail on 20 February, and have since not breached their conditions, according to their lawyers. Following the convictions, Justice Johnson sent Kamio, Corner, Rajwani and Head back to prison on remand. In his ruling, Johnson said there were “substantial grounds” to believe the defendants would “commit further offences”, as it was “absolutely clear” from their closing speeches that they continue to feel “morally justified and empowered to do what they did”. 'It's shocking that they have been remanded again' - Audrey Cherryl Mogan, barrister Rajwani and Head sobbed in the dock as the ruling was read.  Barrister Mira Hammad, who is representing Kamio, said that the evidential picture is no different from when the judge granted them bail following the initial trial in February. She said that the defendants "stand to be sentenced on exactly the same basis as my lord was aware of when he granted bail". "It's shocking that they have been remanded again," Barrister Audrey Cherryl Mogan, who represented Rogers, told Middle East Eye. "Having been on bail they have not put even a toe out of line. He is remanding them on the basis that they would commit offences despite them being there every day, on time and clearly engaged in the process. "He's got proof that they wouldn't commit further offences or fail to attend, and also the fact that they have spent a significant amount of time inside." 'Cruelty and spite' “Having spent 18 months in prison without a single conviction, they’ve already served nearly the equivalent of a four-year sentence,” Clare Hinchcliffe, the mother of Zoe Rogers, told MEE outside Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "And yet they have been put on remand, back to prison to await sentencing. The cruelty of that and the spite of that just takes my breath away. “It's how this trial has been throughout. It's been politically influenced, it's been unfair. There have been restrictions on what the jury is allowed to hear that I’m not even allowed to tell you. “There has been everything thrown at them to secure these convictions, and the effect on the young people is criminal.” In a post on X, Hinchcliffe said that Rogers found the result “devastating” and that she “sat in the courtroom and sobbed”. “She said if they had all been convicted, she would not have shed a tear,” the post read. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Addressing reporters outside the court after the verdicts, Rogers said: “My co-defendants should be out here today," adding that she did not blame jurors for their verdicts, as information had been withheld from them throughout the trial. Devlin said he had been acquitted despite admitting that he “had damaged drones, and that it was an honour”.  He noted that missing security camera footage during the trial, including videos of him allegedly being struck in the face with a sledgehammer by a security guard during the raid, “has backfired and may have played a role” in his acquittal. “It is a travesty of justice