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A jury has been dismissed in the case involving eight activists associated with Palestine Action, who faced charges related to organizing a raid on a UK facility of an Israeli defence company. The defendants—Ian Sanders, Aleksandra Herbich, Teuta Hoxha, Sean Middleborough, Julija Brigadirova, Hannah Davidson, Madeleine Norman, and William Plastow—were accused of causing criminal damage during the August 2024 incident at Elbit Systems located in Filton, near Bristol.
In addition to criminal damage, all eight were charged with violent disorder; however, William Plastow had previously been acquitted of this particular charge. The defendants have consistently denied any involvement in criminal activity throughout the trial, which began on 22 June at the Old Bailey. After 37 hours of deliberation, Judge Patrick Field decided to discharge the jury.
During proceedings, it was presented that none of the accused were physically present at Elbit during the raid. Nonetheless, they were alleged to have played a role in planning the event, which included tasks such as creating an inventory of required equipment, conducting reconnaissance, acquiring tools and weapons used by others, coordinating the break-in, and managing its documentation on film. The prosecution now faces the decision of whether to pursue a retrial.
A hearing to discuss the next steps in the case has been scheduled for 14 September. The defendants come from various locations across the UK: Sanders from Leamington Spa, Herbich from Brent in north-west London, Hoxha from Southwark in south-east London, Middleborough from Liverpool, Brigadirova from Chorlton in Manchester, Davidson and Norman both from Edinburgh, and Plastow from Manchester
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