Jury acquits protestor of conspiracy to cause criminal damage to drone factory alleged to export weaponry to Israel

12 June 2025

The jury was asked to conclude whether the protestors’ actions were reasonable in attempting to save lives in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes. Credit: Anas Mohammed / Shutterstock.

Garden Court North’s Rosalind Burgin secured the acquittal of a client charged with conspiracy to cause criminal damage to a factory in 2024, in protest of what they alleged was involvement in the manufacturing and export of weaponry to Israel.

The Court was told that the aim of the protest was to shut the factory down for as long as possible, and it was accepted that damage was deliberately caused during the protest.

The jury was asked to conclude whether, in the circumstances Rosalind’s client described, the protestors’ actions were reasonable to achieve the goals of saving lives in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and preventing crimes which were happening on-site at the factory.

The jury found the protestors not guilty of conspiracy to cause criminal damage.

Violations of international humanitarian law

The protest occurred during a period of intense air strikes by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza, shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told residents of the blockaded enclave to “get out now. We will be everywhere and with all our might”.

There has been wide support within the UK legal community for Government to uphold its commitments to international humanitarian law, which experts say Israel has repeatedly violated in the OPT. A glaring example is Israel’s continued restriction on aid reaching Gaza’s population, following an 11-week complete blockade.

27 members of Garden Court North, including Rosalind, were among the more than 1,130 legal experts who signed a letter to the UK Government in May 2025, which called for sanctions on key Israeli figures amid plausible risk of genocide.

“The outcome of every case will depend on its evidence, and the jury come to their own conclusions on what they’ve heard. However, as lawyers, one thing stays the same when acting in cases like this: we need to explain to the Court how a ‘lawful excuse’ defence like prevention of crime applies. To do this, we independently examine international and domestic law on war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide,” Rosalind said.

“This work has led me to my own conclusion on the law. I see the coverage of what is happening in Palestine each day, and I have read the findings of the International Court of Justice. All of this led me to sign the open letter raising serious violations of international law by Israel in the OPT. I support the demands for the ‘concrete actions’ set out in the letter, as the bare minimum required for the Government to act in accordance with its fundamental international legal obligations.”

Rosalind was instructed by Sophia Dutton of Kellys Solicitors.

Additional media

One Pump Court – R v EB [2024] Crown Court at Leicester

The Guardian – UK must impose sanctions on Israel to meet legal obligations, say more than 800 lawyers

Lawyers’ Letter – UK Judges’ and Lawyers’ Open Letter Concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territory

For further information, please contact Alex Blair, Communications Manager at Garden Court North Chambers: ablair@gcnchambers.co.uk