All of the Filton 24 not guilty of aggravated burglary

*The following press release is being issued on behalf of the Filton 24 Defence Committee, and is being shared here in full.

On Wednesday 18th February, the Filton 24 defendants, who have not yet gone to trial, were formally acquitted of aggravated burglary. The CPS confirmed they were not able to offer any evidence to support this charge at a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court today. As it was too late to drop the charge, the defendants were given not guilty verdicts by the court on the charge of aggravated burglary. The remaining charges against the rest of the 24 defendants in the case include criminal damage and the public order offence of violent disorder.

This "significant victory" comes after the first six on trial from the Filton 24 were all acquitted of aggravated burglary, the most serious charge by far leveled against the defendants, which carried a maximum sentence of life in prison. Three of the defendants including Zoe Rogers, Fatema Zainab Rajwani and Jordan Devlin were also acquitted of violent disorder. On the remaining counts, the jury reached no verdicts, meaning the six were not convicted of any offence. 

The not guilty verdicts of aggravated burglary and failure to convict of violent disorder means the jury did not accept the prosecution case that the defendants entered the Elbit weapons factory with the intention of using the items they carried as weapons, or threatened/used unlawful violence against Elbit's security guards. Rather, it appears the jury agreed with the defence argument, that the defendants sole intention was to use the items, including sledgehammers, as tools to disarm Israeli weapons to "prevent violence". 

The 18 who were not on the first trial were initially accused of aggravated burglary on a joint enterprise basis with the first six, which the prosecution dubbed as the 'red team'. With the acquittals of the red team, the prosecution case against the rest of the 18 on this charge has "fallen apart". 

After the "victory" achieved by the first six on trial, five of the defendants were granted bail pending a re-trial. The prosecution confirmed today that there will be a retrial on the charges of which no verdicts were reached. This means Samuel Corner, Charlotte Head, Ellie (Leona) Kamio, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin will be retried on the charge of criminal damage. Samuel Corner, Charlotte Head and Ellie Kamio will be retried on the charge of violent disorder. Samuel Corner will also be retried on the charge of GBH with intent against a police officer. These charges may be changed to lower offences.

With the most serious charge being dropped against the defendants, many will be applying for bail today and in the coming weeks. 

A spokesperson from the Filton24 Defence Committee said: 

"Having all of the Filtton24 acquitted of aggravated burglary charges is a significant victory. The charge was always used as a tool to repress the defendants and justify imprisoning them for up to two years before trial, which far exceeded the six month custody time limit. With the most serious charge against them dropped, and five of the filton24 having also been granted bail, it only follows that the rest should now be freed. Especially given they would have already served any possible sentence for the remaining offences, without even being convicted."

"The charge of aggravated burglary accused the defendants of entering an Israeli weapons factory with the intention of using the tools they carried as weapons against people. This was always categorically untrue, proven by the not guilty verdict in the first trial of the Filton24. This accusation was amplified by government ministers and used as a means to justify proscribing Palestine Action, prejudicing the defendants right to a fair trial. With the High Court ruling that the ban was unlawful, and the jury in the first trial refusing to convict the Filton defendants of any offence, it is clear that the state's overreach has truly backfired. The message is now clear: the repression must end and so should the ongoing government involvement in the ongoing Gaza genocide."

[ENDS]