Four Palestine Action activists have been sentenced to a combined 22 years and four months after carrying out a raid causing £1.2 million worth of damage at Elbit Systems UK, an Israeli arms manufacturer near Bristol, on 6 August 2024. The group, known as the “Filton 4,” faced Woolwich Crown Court, where a judge ruled their actions had a “terrorist connection.” Samuel Corner, 27, was also convicted of grievous bodily harm for fracturing a police officer’s spine with a sledgehammer during the incident.
Historic Sentencing Ruling
In a landmark decision on 12 June 2026, Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson handed down enhanced counter-terrorism sentences to the defendants without formal terror charges—a first in UK legal history. The four were convicted of criminal damage after damaging 41 military assets, including combat drone components, inside the Elbit facility.
Individual Sentences Breakdown
- Samuel Corner, 27 – seven years and eight months plus GBH conviction
- Charlotte Head, 30 – five years
- Leona Kamio, 30 – five years
- Fatema Rajwanim, 21 – four years and eight months
Violence During Raid
The activists, dressed in matching red jumpsuits, forced entry using a prison van and used crowbars and sledgehammers to cause the extensive damage. When police intervened, Corner struck Police Sergeant Kate Evans twice on her back with a seven-pound sledgehammer, resulting in a severe spinal fracture.
Controversy And Context
The activists claimed their raid was intended to disrupt Israeli arms manufacturing amid Middle East conflict; however, Elbit Systems denies supplying weapons directly to the Israeli military. The sentencing comes days ahead of a Court of Appeal decision on the UK Government’s bid to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist group, highlighting ongoing national debate.
