Palestine Action defendant says guard ‘assaulted me multiple times’ during Elbit raid

Palestine Action defendant says guard ‘assaulted me multiple times’ during Elbit raid Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Tue, 04/28/2026 - 09:47 Jurors hear that security guard Angelo Volante struck defendant Jordan Devlin in the face and neck, and attempted to bite him Protesters outside Woolwich Crown Court in London, where alleged Palestine Action activists are on trial (AFP) Off A Palestine Action defendant charged in connection with a raid on an Elbit Systems factory said he was assaulted "multiple times” by a security guard during the break-in, an English court heard on Monday. Jordan Devlin, 31, is facing charges of criminal damage in connection with the break-in at the factory at Filton, near Bristol, in August 2024. He is one of six defendants alongside Leona Kamio, 30, Charlotte Head, 29, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Samuel Corner, 23. Corner additionally faces a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent for allegedly striking a police officer with a sledgehammer. Testifying at London’s Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, Devlin told jurors that security guard Angelo Volante “barged” into him and took a sledgehammer off his co-defendant Rogers, who was standing nearby. Devlin, who was unarmed at the time, said the pair then circled each other, and that he was "trying to get in between" Volante and Rogers, as "he was looking like he wanted to hurt her". Devlin said Volante “assaulted me multiple times" during the altercation. “He kicks me, I catch his leg with both my hands,” the defendant said, adding that Volante made a “flurry of swings” at him. The court was shown footage of the confrontation captured on Volante’s body-worn camera. Devlin said that, if played at a slower speed, the footage shows him taking “a downward swing which could have cracked me in the back of the head”. “I could see from his face, he was enjoying the opportunity to bully people. He should have lost his job, been barred from the security industry altogether,” Devlin said. Jurors were also shown photographs of Devlin’s injuries following the raid. Asked by his lawyer, Andrew Morris, to explain them, Devlin indicated a red linear mark across his shoulder that he said was “probably” left by the impact of the sledgehammer handle. Devlin said that he then grabbed the sledgehammer that Volante was wielding. He said the security guard then “rubbed up against me to turn his body-worn camera off”. “That’s where the footage ends. A matter of seconds after he bites towards my neck,” Devlin said. A ‘Star Wars moment’ Devlin recounted another altercation with Volante that he said took place in an alcove on the factory floor, and was not captured by security cameras or body-worn footage. The defendant said the pair grappled over the sledgehammer, which he said Volante drove “into my face”. Jurors were shown Devlin’s mugshot following his arrest, in which he has a black eye. Devlin said that the moment he was struck “my tinnitus went off, and I stepped back stunned”. He recalled that he tried to de-escalate the situation by making a joke, suggesting that he and Volante have a “Star Wars moment” with the sledgehammer and “duel like we’re playing with light sabres”. Devlin added that he would have "loved to see the CCTV footage" of the confrontation. The court previously heard that security footage presented in the trial contained "perceived gaps". On 16 April, when lead defence counsel Rajiv Menon KC questioned PC Sarah Grant, a CCTV recovery officer tasked with retrieving the security footage from Elbit Systems, he noted that she did not obtain footage from two cameras on the factory floor. Palestine Action defendants targeted Elbit's use of ‘deadly AI’, court hears Read More » In another incident recorded on body-worn footage, Volante appears to run towards Devlin and strike him with the handle of a sledgehammer across his neck, knocking him to the ground. Describing a separate altercation with PC Aaron Buxton, Devlin said that the officer put him in a headlock, bringing him down to the ground. The pair then struggled to get to their feet, as the floor was coated in fire-extinguisher fluid. Buxton then fell back to the ground, lying on his back with his arms splayed. “You were aware that PC Buxton had fallen to the floor and was on his back?” prosecutor Emma Gargitter asked him. Devlin responded that he could see from the footage that he was, but at the time, he could not see clearly as his goggles were coated in Pava spray, an incapacitant, which Buxton had fired at him and Corner moments before. Jurors then saw footage from Buxton’s body-worn camera while he was on the floor, which appears to show Corner raising his sledgehammer and bringing it down on Buxton. When asked by Gargitter if he had seen Corner approaching, Devlin said he was “not even aware that he was in the vicinity” and that he was crouched next to Buxton, looking directly at him. Devlin said he did not know that Buxton was a police officer until three days after the arrest. When asked by Gargitter if he had seen the word “police” written on his chest, Devlin said that he could not see clearly. “If they had said they were police, it would have been over a lot easier,” Devlin told the court. When asked by Gargitter if he accepted he caused damage to property in the factory, Devlin said: “Yes I do, and it was an honour.” The trial continues. Palestine Action News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0