Pro-Palestinian protester 'wanted to shut factory'

A pro-Palestinian protester accused of causing criminal damage to an aerospace factory said he wanted to shut the facility down for days to try to save lives.

Four activists targeted Moog Wolverhampton Limited because they believed the business was involved in the supply chain to Israel, Birmingham Crown Court has heard.

Iain Evans, 33, Hisham Alkhamesi, 23, Bea Sherman, 23 and also known as Frank Sherman, and Hana Yun-Stevens, 24, have denied causing criminal damage to property.

Prosecutors allege they acted unlawfully in smashing solar panels and windows after scaling the roof of the factory on 26 August. Evans said: "We believed the longer we stayed up there, the more lives we would save."

"I think the idea to go to Moog was initially my idea," he also stated.

The defendant, from Fanny Street in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, confirmed he had conducted "reconnaissance" of the factory on foot on 5 August and was the driver of a Land Rover which smashed through gates in the early hours of 26 August.

Asked why the group had taken food and tents to the site in Pendeford, Staffordshire, Evans answered: "I was hoping to stay up on the roof for as long as possible – ideally several days if we could.

"The idea was that the longer we stay on the roof, the longer the factory would be shut down."

The Keele University physics and maths graduate claimed the group had chosen a bank holiday as there would be no night shift and "we didn't want to potentially cause harm to anyone".

Yun-Stevens, from south-west London, said she had worn a camera and thrown a smoke grenade to make the group less visible.

The former care assistant and University College London Fine Art student stated she had appeared in footage posted to social media because the activists "wanted people to know what the factory was doing".

"We wanted to be arrested and have a trial to determine the criminality of our actions," Yun-Stevens said, adding the four defendants had deemed the factory's operations to be "criminal".

Alkhamesi said he had struggled with his mental health after following world events during his studies at the University of Southampton.

Asked if he accepted smashing solar panels, Alkhamesi, from Burbage, near Hinckley, Leicestershire, stated: "Yes. As Iain said we intended to disrupt production and shipment."

Sherman, from Ditchling, East Sussex, said she had previously volunteered to help refugees in Calais and Greece, as well as working in shops and a museum.

The group had gone to the factory and "worked together" to "disarm" it and put it out of action, she said.

Prosecutors have accepted the group held very strong beliefs about the war in Gaza, but have said "smashing up a business because you don't agree with what they do, and want to disrupt their business, is not a lawful excuse".

The trial continues.

Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.