Four Palestine Action activists have been jailed following a raid on an Israel-based defence firm’s UK factory, an incident a judge ruled amounted to an "act of terrorism". The operation caused £1.2 million in damage and left a police officer with a fractured spine.Samuel Corner, 23, a former Oxford student, received the longest sentence of seven years and eight months. Charlotte Head, 30, and Leona Kamio, 30, were each handed five-year prison terms, while Fatema Rajwani, 21, was sentenced to four years and eight months. All four will serve an additional year on licence upon their release.The activists were involved in an incident in August 2024, when an old prison van crashed into the Elbit Systems site near Bristol. Dressed in red boilersuits, they used sledgehammers and crowbars to destroy computers, drones, and other equipment before police intervened. During the raid, Corner struck Pc Kate Evans twice on the back with a seven-pound sledgehammer, causing a fractured spine.At Woolwich Crown Court, Mr Justice Johnson told Corner he had used "extreme and gratuitous force against a vulnerable police officer acting in the course of her duties". A protester is detained by police outside Woolwich Crown Court (PA)Pc Evans, who was helping to detain Kamio at the time, revealed in an impact statement that she had been forced to give up her rank of sergeant and is still undergoing medical treatment nearly two years later. "The emotional impact of this incident has been profound and ongoing," she said, adding, "I experience disturbed sleep, often waking in a panicked state or after distressing dreams." Pc Evans also disclosed receiving a hate-filled email from a troll, suggesting she was "working for the Zionist occupation of Britain," and noted Corner’s lack of remorse, saying there was "no sign of shock or regret from him – only attempts to justify his actions with baseless and offensive claims that I was complicit in genocide."The judge ruled the raid constituted an "act of terrorism," having been carried out to influence the UK Government and intimidate a section of the public. He stated the activists had "decided to take matters into your own hands" due to their belief that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza and their disillusionment with legal efforts to oppose it. Mr Justice Johnson added that they had been "reckless" about potential injuries and had livestreamed the raid to "glorify criminality and vigilantism."Rajiv Menon KC, representing Head, argued against the "terrorist connection" finding, calling it "chilling, creeping authoritarianism that undermines the very fabric of our society." He cited previous cases without such a ruling, including one involving a man caught with weapons who vowed to start a "race war." Tom Wainwright, for Corner, highlighted the activists’ "conscientious motivations," suggesting that had the drones not been damaged, they "may have been involved in taking the lives of men, women, and children in Gaza." At least 72 people were arrested at the protest (PA)He added that Corner was "horrified" by Pc Evans’ injury and wished to apologise, attributing his difficulty in expressing emotions to ADHD and autism.However, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC contended that the scale of the damage, combined with Palestine Action’s aim to "influence government decisions and policies" in the UK and Israel, justified the terrorist connection. Elbit Systems, an international military technology company supplying equipment to the Israeli military, received a £1.2 million insurance payout. Simon Robinson, Elbit’s security manager, emphasised that "This was not damage to an empty or symbolic building. The defendants brought weapons into a functioning workplace, resulting in serious injury to a police officer."The judge’s ruling means the four activists will serve at least two-thirds of their sentences for criminal damage and will face Parole Board hearings for release. They will also be subject to extra monitoring and terrorist notification requirements for 15 years.Many protesters held signs that said 'saving lives is not terrorism' (PA)The Elbit raid was among the triggers for the UK Government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, a ruling the High Court later deemed unlawful. Court of Appeal judges are set to decide on Monday whether to uphold the High Court’s decision. Outside the court, around 500 protesters gathered in support of the defendants, leading to the arrest of more than 100 individuals for holding signs backing Palestine Action.