'Palestine Action activist whipped security guard'

Six people were charged after an incident at Elbit Systems' Bristol site in August 2024

An alleged Palestine Action activist "whipped" a security guard during an organised break-in at an Israel-based defence firm's UK site, a trial has heard.

Six people are accused of carrying out a "meticulously organised" attack at an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol on 6 August last year.

Prosecutors say the group broke into the site in a prison van before using sledgehammers as weapons on security guards and police officers.

Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, deny charges of aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder.

Giving evidence at Woolwich Crown Court earlier, security guard Angelo Volante told the trial that he saw a "large group advancing towards us while using pyrotechnics and fireworks to threaten us".

Wearing red jumpsuits and carrying sledgehammers, they used a prison van, allegedly driven by Ms Head, to crash through security fencing, before then breaking into the factory itself, the court heard on the opening day on Tuesday.

Volante said the activists were "armed" and "resorted to using physical violence".

He told jurors he was "whipped on the right side" by Ms Head.

After her lawyer, Rajiv Menon KC, denied this took place, Mr Volante said she "did have a whip and she used the whip on me at some point during the struggle".

'Serious consequence'

Jurors were shown footage of a confrontation at the site in which prosecutors allege Zoe Rogers swung a sledgehammer towards Mr Volante.

After Ms Rogers' lawyer, Audrey Mogan, suggested it made no contact with the security guard, Mr Volante said he thought it did make "some contact, it wasn't a direct hit".

On the footage of the incident Mr Volante can be heard saying: "If you swing that once more it's going to get really serious."

Asked by Ms Mogan what that comment meant, Mr Volante said he meant the "consequence if you hit me and injure me are going to be really serious".

He explained: "I'd defend myself, I'd use more physical force."

Mr Volante, who took possession of a sledgehammer during the incident, was asked by Jordan Devlin's lawyer, Andrew Morris, if he struck Mr Devlin.

"I don't think there was any intentional strike, if there was any strike to Mr Devlin, it was in the struggle."

Another security guard, Patrick Luke, told the court a woman swung a sledgehammer "quite aggressively and with a lot of force" towards him during the events, which "just missed" his chest.

Prosecutors previously said police sergeant Kate Evans was struck twice on the back by Mr Corner.

Mr Luke told jurors: "I saw the individual with a sledgehammer bang in the back of the police officer's back and then she went down."

Mr Corner denies an additional charge of grievous bodily harm.

'Encouraged to intervene'

The court also saw footage of the Mr Volante shouting at people who were wearing red jumpsuits, which he said was to "mitigate any further violence".

Mr Volante said he "confiscated" an angle grinder during the events.

Asked what Elbit security guards are told to do in such situations, he said they were "encouraged to intervene while simultaneously calling the police".

"We're there to contain and manage the incident and to intervene to stop criminal damage, threat to life, threat to injury," he added.

The trial is expected to last until January.