Jury refuses to convict seven Palestine Action defendants over Elbit raid

Jurors at a London court were discharged after being unable to reach verdicts for seven Palestine Action defendants accused of coordinating a raid on an Israeli-owned arms factory. One person who could not be named for legal reasons was convicted by a majority of 9-1 of criminal damage in relation to the incident. The defendants- Hannah Davidson, 53, Ian Sanders, 47, Aleksandra Herbich, 41, Teuta Hoxha, 30, William Plastow, 35, Julija Brigadirova, 33, Sean Middlebrough, 33, and Madeleine Norman, 31- were accused of criminal damage and violent disorder in connection with a break-in to an Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol in August 2024. But on Wednesday, following an eight-week trial and around 37 hours of deliberations at the Old Bailey, jurors could not reach verdicts for seven of the defendants. They could face a retrial. Read more: Jury refuses to convict seven Palestine Action defendants over Elbit raid The defendants from left to right: Ian Sanders, Aleksandra Herbich, William Plastow, Hannah Davidson, Teuta Hoxha, Julija Brigadirova, and Madeleine Norman outside the Old Bailey, July 2026 (Supplied)