Zoe Rogers, 22, is one of six people accused of carrying out an attack at Elbit Systems
Ellie Crabbe, PA and Maxine Denton
15:57, 12 Jan 2026
A Palestine Action activist accused of violent disorder during a break-in at an Israel-based defence firm’s UK site was “terrified” at the time, her barrister has told a court.
Zoe Rogers, 22, is one of six people accused of carrying out an attack at Elbit Systems, a factory on Aztec West, on Bristol's outskirts. The group is accused of breaking into the site in a prison van in the early hours of August 6, 2024, wearing red jumpsuits and allegedly using sledgehammers as weapons.
Rogers, who was due to start university that autumn, said she took part to “destroy drones used to drop grenades”, jurors previously heard.
She is on trial at Woolwich Crown Court alongside Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani and Jordan Devlin, where they are each accused of aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder in relation to the alleged break-in.
In her closing speech on Monday, Audrey Mogan, defending, told jurors the defendant was passionate about climate change.
“She taught herself A-level maths and biology when her mental health made it difficult,” Ms Mogan said.
She said Rogers had volunteered in a soup kitchen and attended protests and marches, and wrote to her MP in support of Palestine before taking part in direct action.
Head and Kamio were involved in planning the action, prosecutors allege, and with Corner, Rajwani and Rogers they “smashed up” Elbit Systems’ equipment in the factory, including drones and computers.
Devlin may not have damaged property himself but “certainly helped the others to do so”, the court previously heard.
Jurors were told that shortly after the group entered the factory, Rogers and Devlin were confronted by security guard Angelo Volante, who screamed at them.
Ms Mogan told jurors: “You can see (in body-worn footage) from that moment she is terrified.”
She added: “The drones were no longer on her mind because she was taken aback, shocked, stressed and scared.
“She (Rogers) even told you, when she finally gets around to breaking a drone, all she could do was effectively hold the sledgehammer up and let it fall on it.”
Devlin, 31, attempted to de-escalate interactions between security guards and the activists, jurors were told.
Andrew Morris, defending, said he told Mr Volante in the factory: “Just f****** leave me, it’s not worth your job,” and “It’s time to leave mate.”
“These aren’t threats,” Mr Morris said. “This is Mr Devlin trying to de-escalate the situation, is my submission to you.”
At one point Devlin says “something like ‘This is our Star Wars moment, Elbit are the empire’”, Mr Morris told jurors, and said it was a joke to try to reduce tension.
The court heard that Devlin told police at the scene he had been assaulted.
Mr Morris said jurors could see in video footage of the incident that Mr Volante took a sledgehammer handle to Devlin’s neck.
“He (Devlin) himself, I put to you, was the victim of some unlawful violence at the hands of Mr Volante,” he said.
Rogers, Devlin, Head, 29; Kamio, 30; Rajwani, 21; and Corner, 23, deny the counts against them, and Corner denies a further charge of causing police sergeant Kate Evans grievous bodily harm with intent.
The trial continues.