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| Palestine Action |
Jurors were told to put their political views on Israel-Palestine aside as they heard evidence about a raid on a defence industry factory in which a female police sergeant had her back broken, allegedly by being attacked by a sledgehammer-wielding activist.
Seven people denied charges of aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder arising from a remarkable raid on a defence firm in August of last year. The company, Elbit Systems UK, which is said to supply armaments to the Israeli government, saw a prison van used as a battering ram and several police officers and security staff injured during the alleged raid in Patchway, Bristol.
The Woolwich Crown Court heard that Palestine Action activists allegedly used the former prison van to drive through the facility perimeter fence before battering down a loading door of the factory itself. The prosecution told the court the raid was “meticulously organised”, with different teams wearing different-coloured tracksuits: one team assigned to dealing with the guards, while a second was to cause as much havoc in the factory as possible to put it out of work.
The prosecutor said, “When they broke into the premises, they were each armed with a sledgehammer. There is no doubt that these sledgehammers were intended to be used to damage property, but they were also carried as weapons to be used, if necessary, to threaten and damage people.”
As well as the burglary and damage charges, one of the group, 23-year-old Samuel Corner, of Rock Hill, Georgeham, Devon, faces a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to the sledgehammer. The court heard he allegedly struck a female police officer twice, including once when she was already beaten to the ground, breaking her back.
The prosecutor asserted he had struck “a female officer across the back with his sledgehammer while she was on the floor, facing away from him”. While the police-issue stab vest she was wearing may have absorbed the worst of the impact, her spine was fractured, and Police Sergeant Kate Evans was unable to get up. She has been unable to return to full police duties since. --->READ MORE HERE
A 'Palestine Action' protester 'fractured a police officer's spine' before 'attacking her with a sledgehammer' as he smashed his way into a Bristol weapons factory, a court has heard.
Samuel Corner, 23, was allegedly among a group of activists who crashed through a gate with an old prison van at the Israeli-linked firm Elbit Systems UK, in Patchway, on August 5 last year.
Campaigners were armed with fireworks, an axe and a paintball gun, and they wore red and black jumpsuits.
The 'black team' overwhelmed a security official who tried to fight them off with his umbrella while the red team ploughed through the loading gate, the court was told.
On the site itself, the activists wreaked carnage - causing damage and attacking security guards and police officers with sledgehammers, it is claimed.
Police Sergeant Kate Evans suffered back injuries after she was allegedly beaten with a sledgehammer by Corner.
Corner together with Charlotte Head, 29, Leona Kamio, 30, Fateema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, Jordan Devlin, 31, all deny aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder.
He further denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent to PS Evans.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC told jurors the attack was 'meticulously organised'.
She said: 'The premises had been targeted in advance, willing participants had been identified and a step-by-step plan of action devised and agreed upon.
'The plan involved a large group of Palestine Action members entering the site wearing either black jumpsuits, the black team, or red jumpsuits, the red team.
'The role of the black team was to overwhelm the security guards by threatening, intimidating and, if necessary, assaulting them so that the red team could break into the buildings in order to cause as much damage as possible and obtain information about the company.
'The defendants in the dock were all members of the red team.
'When they broke into the premises, they were each armed with a sledgehammer.
'There is no doubt that these sledgehammers were intended to be used to damage property, but they were also carried as weapons to be used, if necessary, to threaten and damage people.'
Ms Heer said Corner went 'so far as to strike a female officer across the back with his sledgehammer while she was on the floor, facing away from him' --->READ MORE HERE
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