Four Palestine Action thugs jailed for causing £1.2m worth of damage in Israeli-linked weapons factory raid to appeal sentences

Four Palestine Action activists who caused £1.2million in damage to an Israel-based defence firm's UK factory will seek to challenge their sentences in the Court of Appeal, their solicitor said.Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 24, Leona Kamio, 31, and Fatema Rajwani, 22, used sledgehammers and crowbars to destroy computers, drones and other equipment at the Elbit Systems site near Bristol in August 2024.Corner, a former student at Oxford, struck police officer Kate Evans twice on the back with a seven-pound sledgehammer, leaving her with a fractured spine.In June, Mr Justice Johnson jailed Corner for seven years and eight months for criminal damage and causing grievous bodily harm, while Head and Kamio were jailed for five years and Rajwani for four years and eight months for criminal damage.Charlotte Head was behind the wheel of an old prison van which was used to crash through the gates of Elbit Systems.The four activists, who were wearing red jumpsuits, then began smashing equipment inside the site before becoming involved in a confrontation with security guards and police. The case is believed to be the first time that convictions for criminal damage have been classified as having a terrorist connection.Their solicitor Simon Natas said at a press conference on Thursday they will seek permission to appeal against 'excessive' sentences, saying a judge was wrong in law to classify their actions as terrorism. Samuel Corner (pictured) was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm after he fractured a police officer's spine during the course of the raid Sergeant Kate Evans told jurors at a hearing how she believed her spine could have been 'shattered' and feared she may have been 'paralysed' after being hit by Samuel Corner Sukaina Rajwani (L), the mother of Fatema Zainab Rajwani and Emma Kamio (R), the mother of Ellie Kamio, join lawyers representing jailed Palestine Action activists at a press conference at the Monitoring Group in LondonThe judge's ruling that the raid amounted to an 'act of terrorism' means the four activists will have to serve at least two-thirds of their sentences and will have to face Parole Board hearings to secure their release from prison.They will also spend an extra year on licence after the end of their prison terms and be subject to terrorist notification requirements for 15 years.Defendants seeking to appeal against an excessive sentence must be given permission to do so by the Court of Appeal before an appeal is considered.The Court of Appeal said an application for permission to appeal has been received and is being prepared for consideration by a single judge.Mr Natas told the press conference he has been defending protest cases for more than 15 years for groups such as Extinction Rebellion and direct action had never before been classified as terrorism.He said: 'It would have been unthinkable to anyone involved in those cases that they would have been considered to have a terrorist connection.'He said: 'We say there was no intention to influence the government or intimidate a section of the public – because the intention here was to destroy weapons due to be sent to Israel.'In his ruling, Mr Johnson said the activists had sought to 'shut down' Elbit Systems and influence the UK Government into blocking its operations. Leona Kamio (pictured), 30, was found guilty of criminal damage by jurors Fatema Rajwani (pictured), 21, was among six defendants standing trial – she was found guilty of criminal damage Charlotte Head (pictured), 30, was driving a prison van that was used as a 'battering ram' to break into the Elbit facility Hundreds of Palestine Action protesters gathered outside Woolwich Crown Court as a judge ruled that the quartet carried out 'an act of terrorism'He concluded that the action was designed to influence the Government and intimidate a section of the public for the purpose of advancing an ideological or political cause. During today's press conference, Fatema Rajwani's mother, Sukaina Rajwani, said: 'This is the first time in British history property damage has been equated to terrorism. This political decision was made by the CPS and re–enforced by Judge Johnson.'She said her daughter had been held in solitary confinement for a week and would only be allowed to be visited by 20 people on an approved list while she is in prison.Leona Kamio's mother Emma Kamio said her daughter was a nursery teacher 'going home each night to watch children of a similar age being brutally murdered in a genocide – that is why she took action'.In a statement read at the press conference, human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield KC – who worked on cases including the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the Grenfell Tower fire – said the sentences 'undermine the integrity and fairness of jury trial in the UK'.He said: 'Put simply, a person may be sentenced as a terrorist without such a damning allegation being tried and determined by a jury.'In a statement from prison, Charlotte Head said: 'Our case has been politically manipulated to justify the proscription of Palestine Action.'Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC described the raid as a 'meticulously organised' attack intended to cause maximum damage and obtain information about the company. Sergeant Kate Evans, who was struck by Corner with the sledgehammer, previously told the court that she continues to suffer from panic attacks and ongoing pain following the attack. She was also forced to accept a demotion from sergeant to police constable and said she had received abuse by email following the incident. The raid was one of the events that contributed to the Government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. However, the High Court later ruled that the proscription was unlawful, with the issue subsequently being considered by the Court of Appeal. The sentences also prompted a political backlash as Green Party leader Zack Polanski described them as 'gut–wrenching' and a 'dangerous attack on the right to protest'. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised his comments and pointed to the serious injuries suffered by Sergeant Evans. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Labour frontbencher John McDonnell also criticised the sentences, arguing that the defendants had not been convicted of terrorism by a jury. Palestine Action was proscribed by the Government on July 5 2025, one year after the raid on Elbit Systems in August 2024. Get your news delivered straight to you by 7am – sign up to our new Morning Mail newsletter for FREE