Five individuals have pleaded not guilty to damaging two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton, in a demonstration allegedly carried out by members of Palestine Action.
The defendants—Muhammad Umer Khalid, 22; Lewis Chiaramello, 23; Amu Gib, 30 (formerly Amy Gardiner-Gibson); Jon Cink, 25 (formerly Jony Cink); and Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, appeared via videolink at the Old Bailey for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
Each denied charges of criminal damage and entering a prohibited area with the intent to act in a manner prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK.
Previous hearings have revealed that the damage, which occurred in Oxfordshire on June 20 last year, has so far been estimated at £1.7 million and could rise to nearly £15 million.
The defendants have been reported to have been heavily involved in Palestine Action at the time of the incident, which the Government later proscribed under anti-terror legislation.
A trial is scheduled to begin on January 18, 2027, at the Old Bailey and is expected to last up to eight weeks.
Mr Khalid, of no fixed address; Mr Chiaramello, of Brent, north-west London; Ms Gib and Mr Cink, both also of no fixed address; and Jeronymides-Norie, of Barnet, north London, are next due to appear at the court on May 1. No bail applications were made, and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded all five defendants into custody.
The individuals pleaded not guilty
| PALESTINE ACTIONTwo Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on 20th June last year, after a group of protesters broke into the airbase and sprayed paint on the planes.
Police said the incident caused £7m of damage.
Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the act, saying it was in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Shortly after the incident the government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
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Outside the court, around 50 supporters gathered and chanted ‘free, free Palestine’ while the plea hearing took place.
A trial has been set for 18th January 2027 at the Old Bailey, and the five defendants have been remanded in custody.
While in prison, Ms Gib, Mr Cink and Mr Chiaramello had all been refusing to eat food as they took part in a ‘hunger strike’.
One of the defendants, Muhammad Umer Khalid, is still currently refusing to eat food.
Cink and Gib, who are both of no fixed address, Jeronymides-Norie, of Barnet, north London, Chiaramello, of Brent, north west London, and Khalid, of Stockport, Greater Manchester are next to appear at the same court on 1st May for a further preparation hearing.