Court hears Palestine Action defendant suffered from emotional turmoil before Elbit raid

Court hears Palestine Action defendant suffered from emotional turmoil before Elbit raid Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Wed, 08/05/2026 - 10:08 Judge Patrick Field has sent jurors out to deliberate following the weeks-long trial over a raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in August 2024 Julija Brigadirova is among eight defendants facing criminal damage and violent disorder charges in connection with a raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in August 2024 (Supplied) Off A British court has heard that a defendant in a Palestine Action trial accused of planning a raid on an Israeli- owned arms factory was suffering from emotional turmoil at the time the coordination of the action was alleged to take place. Representing Julija Brigadirova, lawyer Tom Copeland told the court on Wednesday, that her circumstances around the time she was alleged to be planning the Filton action were marked by mental and emotional distress - including an attempt on her own life. Copeland suggested that the reason Brigadirova appears to be absent from the evidence of the alleged coordination of the Elbit raid in the weeks preceding it, is because “in the context of her life at the time, she may not have been in a place to usefully contribute”.