Four British pro-Palestinian campaigners were handed prison terms totaling more than 20 years following a 2024 break-in at a factory run by Israeli defense company Elbit, which resulted in damages exceeding one million pounds, after the judge identified a terrorism connection as an aggravating element.

Charlotte Head, aged 30, Samuel Corner, aged 23, Leona Kamio, aged 30, and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, aged 21, belonged to the prohibited organization Palestine Action that carried out the operation against the Elbit Systems UK plant in Bristol two years earlier.

The group was found guilty of criminal damage at Woolwich Crown Court last May, and Corner additionally received a conviction for causing grievous bodily harm after striking a police officer with a sledgehammer, although they were cleared of aggravated burglary charges.

Prosecutors urged the court to apply terrorism-related considerations leading to stricter penalties, a move that drew criticism from rights organizations and prominent backers.

Judge Jeremy Johnson described the terrorism connection as an aggravating factor yet recognized the defendants prior good character as a key mitigating element.

Corner received seven years and eight months overall for both offenses after the judge determined the force used was extreme and unnecessary and that his autism did not account for the sledgehammer attack.

Kamio and Head each received five-year terms while Rajwani was sentenced to four years and eight months for the criminal damage convictions, with all four required to serve an additional year on license following release.

Lawyers Argue Terrorism Connection Lacks Foundation

The incident occurred roughly ten months into Israels military response in Gaza after the October 2023 Hamas attacks.

Palestine Action was subsequently banned under terrorism legislation, a prohibition later deemed unlawful by the High Court although the ban continues pending an appeal decision expected soon.

Judge Johnson noted that although Palestine Action was not yet proscribed at the time of the offense the actions involved significant property destruction aimed at influencing UK policy on Israel and therefore carried a terrorism connection that warranted harsher sentencing.

Elbit informed the court it had obtained nearly 1.2 million pounds from insurers for repairs and that the event continued to affect employee security and morale.

Among the damaged items were specialized drone components along with IT equipment and computers.

The activists maintained their goal was to disable weapons production to halt what they called genocide in Gaza and they rejected any intent to harm individuals.

Activists and Supporters Call Sentences Excessive

Defense lawyers insisted there was no justification for applying terrorism standards since no such charges had been brought.

Nearly 100 public figures including writers and performers signed a letter warning that enhanced penalties based on terrorism considerations would constitute a serious injustice.

Amnesty International UK leader Kerry Moscogiuri stated that criminal damage has never previously been equated with terrorism in British courts and warned against such equivalence as dangerous and disproportionate given the lifelong consequences.

Police reported more than 100 arrests outside the courthouse for expressions of support toward Palestine Action.