Home Affairs Correspondent
A jury at the Old Bailey has failed to reach verdicts on the remaining charges against seven activists accused of helping organise a raid on an Elbit Systems weapons facility in Filton, near Bristol.
The jury was discharged on August 19 after more than 37 hours of deliberations in the trial of eight defendants linked to the group known as the Filton 25.
One defendant was convicted of criminal damage, while the jury failed to reach verdicts on the outstanding charges against seven others. The Crown Prosecution Service will now decide whether to seek retrials. A further hearing has been listed for 14 September.
The defendants were Madeleine Norman, Hannah Davidson, Teuta Hoxha, Aleksandra Herbich, Ian Sanders, William Plastow and Yulia Brigadirova, together with an eighth defendant whose case is subject to reporting restrictions.
The case arose from an action at Elbit Systems’ Filton site on 6 August 2024. Six activists entered the facility and damaged equipment, including drones. None of the defendants in the latest trial was alleged to have entered the factory.
Prosecutors said the defendants had nevertheless assisted or encouraged the operation through planning, reconnaissance, obtaining equipment, logistics and coordinating or recording the action. They alleged that those activities formed part of a coordinated plan to damage Elbit property.
The defence disputed the allegations and argued that the evidence did not establish that the defendants were criminally responsible for the damage.
The jury had previously acquitted the defendants of aggravated burglary, the most serious charge in the case. William Plastow was also acquitted of violent disorder during the proceedings.
The Press Association reported that the jury considered 15 charges and that the proceedings resulted in one guilty verdict, with no verdicts reached on the remaining charges.
Several defendants gave evidence about their involvement with Palestine Action and their opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Madeleine Norman, 31, said she had previously volunteered with refugees and supported the Palestine Solidarity Campaign before becoming involved with Palestine Action. She had spent 554 days in custody before the trial.
Hannah Davidson, 53, told the court that images from Gaza had led her to become increasingly involved in activism.
Teuta Hoxha, 30, said she had initially supported Palestinians through political campaigning, correspondence with government departments and fundraising before joining Palestine Action. She spent about 15 months in custody before the trial and carried out two hunger strikes, including one lasting 56 days.
Hoxha said she was at a safe house on the night of the Filton operation and helped prepare cameras used to record the action.
During the trial, jurors asked the judge whether defendants convicted of criminal damage could receive sentences under terrorism legislation.
The judge told them that sentencing was a matter for him and should not affect their consideration of the evidence.
The question followed the convictions and sentencing of four other members of the Filton 25. Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Charlotte Head and Fatema Zainab Rajwani were convicted of criminal damage in an earlier prosecution and subsequently sentenced under terrorism legislation.
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government on 5 July 2025. The Filton cases relate to actions carried out before the proscription.
The 25 activists were arrested and prosecuted following the 2024 action against Elbit Systems. Six people accused of entering the facility were tried earlier this year and acquitted of aggravated burglary.
The latest prosecution concerned defendants alleged to have supported the operation from outside the factory.
The Filton 25 Defence Committee welcomed the latest outcome, criticised the length of time some defendants had spent on remand and opposed the possibility of retrials.
The Crown Prosecution Service has yet to announce whether it will seek new trials.
The case will return to the Old Bailey on September 14, when the court is expected to consider the next steps.
