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Palestine Action defendants acquitted of aggravated burglary over arms factory raid (www.middleeasteye.net)

submitted 1 week ago by pete_link@lemmy.ml to c/uk_politics@feddit.uk

28 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/42709668

4 February 2026 12:40 GMT

During the trial, the prosecution alleged that the six defendants entered the factory with sledgehammers, intending, if needed, to injure and incapacitate security guards.

But the defendants disputed that the sledgehammers were “weapons of offence”, and insisted they were intended only to damage property.

As the verdicts were being read, the defendants held hands and embraced in the dock, as families and supporters cheered and wept.

The six defendants have been held for around 18 months on remand- exceeding standard UK custodial time limits.

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[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Protestors can’t bring charges. Only the CPS can prosecute.

[–] crapwittyname@feddit.uk 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Protestors can't bring charges? Can you explain what you mean by that because it's definitely not correct as is. Protestors have the protection of the law just like everybody else.
Only the CPS can prosecute? That's not right either, private prosecutions are allowed in the UK, under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. You can have your case heard in the magistrates court for example.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The DPP has the right to take over or order discontinuance of any private prosecution. In this case it is almost unthinkable that the CPS would allow the protestors to mount a private prosecution of anyone, much less an individual the CPS has deemed a victim of the same incident.

I should have said the CPS has a monopoly on prosecution. Only those private prosecutions the DPP sees as no threat to their authority are allowed to take place.

[–] crapwittyname@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I didn't know that. That seems completely unjust. I hope the private prosecution would be allowed after the CPS is finished with the case?

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

Its a bit like a burglar suing a homeowner over injury though.

In any case there have been calls to further restrict private prosecutions, as most of them are train fare dodgers and TV licence non-payments (TVL cases making up 1% of all cases in British courts), and the biggest legal scandal of the century so far has been the Post Office’s wrongful private prosecutions of postmasters, where it is theorised that most cases wouldn’t have gone to court if the CPS had had proper oversight.