Elbit factory raid: defendant says security guard assaulted him during Filton break-in
A defendant in the Elbit factory raid at Filton told jurors he was assaulted multiple times by a security guard during the August 2024 break-in, describing a violent altercation captured in part on body-worn camera footage.
Defendant gives account of repeated assaults
Jordan Devlin, 31, told Woolwich Crown Court he was struck and kicked by a security guard after entering the Elbit Systems facility near Bristol as part of a Palestine Action protest.
He said the guard seized a sledgehammer from a co-defendant and that the two men circled one another before the guard began to strike him, leaving visible injuries that were later photographed.
Body-worn camera and footage shown to jury
Prosecutors and defence counsel played parts of the guard’s body-worn camera during the hearing, and Devlin described moments he says are clearer when slowed down.
He told the court the footage shows a downward swing that nearly hit him in the back of the head and later ends as the guard moved to disable the device, after which Devlin said he was bitten near the neck.
Physical injuries and exhibits presented
Photographs of Devlin taken after his arrest were tendered to jurors, including a linear red mark across his shoulder and a black eye visible in his booking image.
On the stand he pointed to the shoulder mark as likely caused by contact with the sledgehammer handle and explained that an impact left him momentarily stunned and experiencing ringing in his ears.
Events on the factory floor and other confrontations
Devlin also described a separate struggle in an area of the factory that, he said, was not covered by security cameras or retained footage, during which the guard allegedly drove the sledgehammer into his face.
He recounted trying to defuse that confrontation with a light-hearted remark and said he had hoped to see additional CCTV to corroborate his version of events.
Police encounters and the Pava spray
The witness told jurors he was sprayed with an incapacitant identified in court as Pava, which coated his goggles and impaired his vision during exchanges with officers.
Devlin said he did not realize at the time that one officer he grappled with was a police constable, and that he could not clearly see labelling on uniforms because of the spray.
Charges against defendants and outstanding issues over footage
Devlin is one of six people charged in connection with the Filton incursion; all face criminal damage counts while Samuel Corner, 23, additionally faces an allegation of causing grievous bodily harm with intent for an alleged blow to an officer with a sledgehammer.
Defence counsel previously questioned the failure to recover footage from two factory-floor cameras, and the court heard that jurors have been shown material with what has been described as perceived gaps in the security recordings.
The trial has included competing interpretations of partially preserved body-worn camera clips and disputed sequences that defendants say are missing, and lawyers for both sides have signalled the importance of the unrecovered footage to their accounts.
The case remains before Woolwich Crown Court as the jury continues to consider witness testimony, exhibited images and video evidence presented over multiple days.
