R v Charlotte Head and others / Criminal Damage at Elbit's Bristol premises in 2024

The Judiciary has published the sentencing remarks of Mr Justice Johnson in the criminal damage case for which four individuals were convicted.

The remarks and a press summary may be read at R -v- Charlotte Head and others - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. There is also a judgment addressing the question of whether the defendants’ offence of criminal damage had a “terrorist connection.” The judge held that the criminal damage did have such a connection.

As explained in a previous post, the finding that there was a terrorist connection entitled the judge to increase the sentences - Previous post on section 69 of the Sentencing Act 2020.

The defendants were Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Zainab Rajwani. Each of them was convicted by a jury of an offence of criminal damage. Samuel Corner, was also convicted of an offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm - (serious spinal injury to a Police Officer).

The sentences were - 

The criminal damage was planned and was extensive. There was a terrorist connection to those offences. The grievous bodily harm inflicted by Samuel Corner was a spinal fracture inflicted with a  sledgehammer. Contrary to the view of some, including a number of politicians, the sentences were entirely merited.

The question of whether the State of Israel committed genocide in Gaza was NOT before the court.  There is a case before the International Court of Justice which may, eventually, decide that question - Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v Israel

Previous post:

Law and Lawyers: 6 May 2026 - Four convicted of criminal damage at premises of Elbit Systems Ltd + Action against defence counsel