Palestine Action Activist Samuel Corner Hits Police Sergeant Kate Evans With Sledgehammer at Elbit Systems UK

A Palestine Action activist, Samuel Corner, 23, told a court that he swung a sledgehammer at police sergeant Kate Evans during a raid on the Elbit Systems UK facility near Bristol because he believed his co-defendant was being seriously hurt by security.

The BBC and The Guardian both describe the incident at the Elbit Systems facility in Filton, near Bristol, on 6 August 2024, with Corner accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and criminal damage.

BBC

The Guardian reports that Corner hit Evans in the back with the sledgehammer while she was on all fours, facing away from him, attempting to arrest Rogers, and that the officer’s spine was fractured.

Corner told jurors at Woolwich Crown Court that he “would never want to seriously hurt anyone,” and he maintained he took the action “to protect” his co-defendant.

In the BBC account, Corner said, “I heard someone screaming and I thought she was being seriously hurt by security,” and he added, “I would never want to seriously hurt anyone.”

The Guardian similarly quotes Corner saying, “To protect. I heard someone screaming … and I thought she was being seriously hurt by security,” and Corner responded “To protect her” when asked what he hoped to achieve.

The trial continues, with the defendants denying all charges.

The case before Woolwich Crown Court centers on an Elbit Systems raid in Filton, near Bristol, on 6 August 2024, with Samuel Corner, 23, facing charges alongside other Palestine Action defendants.

The BBC lists Charlotte Head, 30, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, as co-defendants accused of criminal damage, and it says jurors previously heard Corner hit Evans in the back with the sledgehammer as she was on her knees trying to arrest Rogers.

BBC

The Guardian likewise places the incident at the Elbit Systems facility in Filton, near Bristol, on 6 August 2024, and it describes the trial at Woolwich Crown Court, where Corner is accused of grievous bodily harm with intent and criminal damage.

Both outlets describe the officer’s injuries in terms of a fractured spine, with the BBC stating the officer suffered a fractured spine and remains on restricted duties at work.

The Guardian adds that Corner has been held in prison since being arrested on 6 August 2024, and it reports that proceedings were cut short because he felt unwell.

The BBC also notes that the break-in happened before Palestine Action was proscribed by the government on 5 July 2025.

In his evidence, Corner told jurors the intention of the raid was to “shut Elbit down,” and he described wanting to destroy weapons and equipment needed to make weapons.

Corner’s account of why he struck Evans emphasized fear, panic, and the presence of security during the raid, with The Guardian describing him as squeezing an anti-stress toy while giving evidence.

“Les poursuites contre les 9 militants qui ont occupé, cet été, le toit de la firme Elbit, succursale britannique du fabricant israélien de drones, viennent d’être abandonnées, la société d’armement se refusant à présenter les documents susceptibles de prouver que ses drones n’avaient pas servi aux massacres des Palestiniens pendant l’attaque sur Gaza”

CAPJPO EuroPalestine

The Guardian says Corner told the court he was anxious, scared and panicked after being sprayed “straight in the face” with Pava spray, which it describes as similar to pepper spray, and after hearing his co-defendants screaming.

He told the court he was also taken aback by the presence of security guards on the factory floor as he was told beforehand they would not attempt to confront the activists.

When asked by his barrister, Tom Wainwright, why he swung the sledgehammer at Evans, Corner said, “To protect. I heard someone screaming … and I thought she was being seriously hurt by security.”

The Guardian reports that Corner added, “I would never want to seriously hurt anyone,” and it quotes him saying he was “very scared, especially for the others.”

In cross-examination, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC asked Corner whether as an “intelligent person” he would know a sledgehammer was capable of causing “really serious harm,” and Corner replied in the affirmative while saying, “When I did this I was panicking, I was in pain, I’d just been pepper-sprayed.”

The BBC similarly frames Corner’s testimony around the idea that he acted to protect, quoting him: “I heard someone screaming and I thought she was being seriously hurt by security,” and “I would never want to seriously hurt anyone.”

Alongside the ongoing trial described by the BBC and The Guardian, CAPJPO EuroPalestine reports a separate development in Britain involving Palestine Action protests at Elbit.

The CAPJPO EuroPalestine piece says that “Les poursuites contre les 9 militants qui ont occupé, cet été, le toit de la firme Elbit” were abandoned, with the arms company refusing to present documents that could show its drones were not used in massacres of Palestinians during the attack on Gaza.

Europalestine

It says Elbit refused to provide judges with documents about its military exports to Israel, citing The Independent, and it states that as a result the nine militants of London Palestine Action who had led the action and were due to appear in February for violation of private property no longer faced any judicial prosecution.

CAPJPO EuroPalestine describes the rooftop occupation as having interrupted production of armaments at the Elbit factory in Staffordshire during “les massacres israéliens” that it says made more than 2000 victims in 50 days.

It also says Elbit claimed that the devices made in Britain did not equip Hermes 450 drones, but that Elbit refused to provide proof.

The article quotes Mike Schwarz, the lawyer of the British BDS militants, criticizing the government for not forcing Elbit UK to make public its dealings with Israel.

CAPJPO EuroPalestine also references a resignation by the Baronne Warsi, stating that collaboration with Israel led the British foreign minister to give her resignation “cet été.”

Europalestine, a local Western outlet, places Palestine Action’s protest activity in a broader sequence of actions and retaliation claims, describing an attack on a drone factory in Birmingham.

It says that on Sunday, British Palestine Action activists “retaliated against the Israeli deadly attack in Nablus” by infiltrating the UAV Engines LTD drone factory in Birmingham and causing damage at Elbit Systems, which it calls “the largest arms company.”

Middle East Eye

The outlet quotes a Palestine Action statement saying, “Less than 24 hours after the Israeli occupation forces attacked Nablus, killing 2 Palestinians, we retaliated against one of Israel’s arms factories, because we promised that violence would meet resistance,” and it attributes the line to a Palestine Action communiqué.

Europalestine also frames the action as part of a pattern, saying the activists “have not been idle in recent weeks,” and it repeats that the action involved causing damage at Elbit Systems.

The same Europalestine piece also includes a long list of other protest-related items and videos, but the core narrative it provides centers on the Birmingham UAV Engines LTD factory and the claimed retaliation timeline.

Taken together with the BBC and The Guardian reporting on the Elbit raid near Bristol on 6 August 2024, the Europalestine account presents a continuing protest campaign targeting Elbit-linked sites.

The BBC and The Guardian, by contrast, focus on the courtroom testimony of Samuel Corner and the allegations tied to the sledgehammer attack and criminal damage charges.