Prosecutors have dropped aggravated robbery charges against 18 accused of a Palestinian Action break-in at an Israeli defense firm’s UK site after a jury cleared six others of guilt.
Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Cameo, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Joe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, were acquitted of aggravated robbery, which took place on August 24, 2018. 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2010 carries life imprisonment. Filton, near Bristol.
At a case management hearing at Woolwich Crown Court in south London. For all 24 defendants charged in connection with the break-in, Deanna Heer KC said: “The prosecution reconsidered the sufficiency of the evidence … in light of those judgments and in respect of all the remaining defendants the prosecution offered no evidence on count one, aggravated robbery.”
However, she confirmed the Crown Prosecution Service would seek a retrial of the six acquitted of aggravated robbery over allegations the jury failed to reach verdicts after more than 36 hours of deliberations.
Heer told Mr Justice Johnson on Wednesday: “As we indicated at the conclusion of the trial, we now confirm the prosecution’s intention to seek a retrial on all charges on which the jury returned no verdict.
“This is criminal damage against all defendants, three defendants on a charge of violent disorder and Mr Corner on a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.”
Jurors cleared Rajwani, Rogers and Devlin of violent disorder but failed to reach a verdict on the charge against Head, Corner and Kamio.
None of the six were found guilty of any crime and at the end of the trial, all but Corner were released on conditional bail after spending nearly 18 months in custody.
A further 18 suspects charged in connection with Elbitt’s attack face criminal damage charges and some are also charged with violent disorder. All but Sean Middlebrough, who escaped on conditional release from Wandsworth Prison in south-west London in October last year, are being held in prison awaiting trial.
The court heard that 13 of the 18 accused have applied for bail, some of whom will appear for trial on Wednesday. The remaining bail applications will be heard on Friday.
Aggravated robbery requires the offender to commit robbery with a weapon used to injure or incapacitate a person. The first six defendants tried had sledgehammers, but their lawyers told the jury they used them to destroy property on the Elbitt site.
Wednesday’s court proceedings took place amid tight security, with at least two dozen police officers stationed around the court building and a heavy presence of court security guards.
Members of the public who wanted to witness the court proceedings were initially escorted outside the court gates by security.
