A jury convicted four people of criminal damage for breaking into an Elbit Systems weapons site near Bristol and dismantling Israeli military drones. The jury was never told the judge intended to sentence them as terrorists. He had already ruled, before trial, that there was a “terrorist connection” — and ordered that the jury must not hear it.
I have set up a document bank:
alimcforever.com/geopolitics/uk/filton
Statute, judgment, FOI release, campaign filings.
The facts, in brief:
5 May 2026 — A jury at Woolwich Crown Court convicted four of six defendants of criminal damage over the 6 August 2024 action at the Elbit Systems site in Filton, Bristol. No terrorism offence was charged. CAGE — Filton 25
The mechanism — Section 69 of the Sentencing Act 2020, widened by the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021, lets a judge alone attach a “terrorist connection” to a qualifying offence — without a terrorism charge, and without the jury’s knowledge. legislation.gov.uk — s.69
The FOI — A release records a 9 September 2024 email, subject “Contacts CPS/SO15,” in which the Attorney General’s Office shared CPS and counter-terror police contacts in connection with the Israeli embassy. The email content is redacted. AOAV FOI
The ban — In R (Ammori) v SSHD EWHC 292 (Admin), the High Court ruled the proscription of Palestine Action unlawful. The ban stays in place pending appeal. judiciary.uk — judgment
The calendar:
12 Jun 2026 — Sentencing. Woolwich Crown Court, Belmarsh Road, SE28 0EB.
15 Jun 2026 — Court of Appeal expected to rule on the ban. Three days after the sentence.
Go deeper: Read the file
My opinion if I were in the jury....An israeli company is welcome to make weapons for its genocidal government on its own soil where they can get splattered if they are not polite to their neighbours, but not in England....these kids are defending Britain's national security because people abroad think brits are complicit in these genocides and as a nation they are not. There is a 10 year sentence for putting UK national security at risk, so any politicians and the king himself are candidates for that prize when they support ukraine israel or USA bellingerents and put friendly brits at risk of war or oreshnik strikes when they have enough on their plates recovering economically from the covid debacle..