Three activists have been sentenced to prison for damaging a defence company’s property in West Yorkshire, with a fourth awaiting sentencing. Najam Shah, Julian Gao, Ruby Hamill, and Daniel Jones were found guilty of property damage and possession of tools with intent to destroy following a trial at Bradford Crown Court in February.
The group spent over 16 hours causing destruction at the Teledyne Defence and Space site, using sledgehammers, crowbars, and fire extinguishers. The damage inflicted was extensive and costly.
On Friday 24 April, Shah, Gao, and Jones were each sentenced to 20 months in prison. Ruby Hamill was not present at the sentencing hearing and will be sentenced at a later date.
Julian Briggs, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, condemned the offenders’ actions, describing their behaviour as a “reckless disregard” for both property and public safety.
Briggs stated, “Najam Shah, Julian Gao, Ruby Hamill, and Daniel Jones spent over sixteen hours on the roof of Teledyne Defence and Space, systematically damaging it with sledgehammers, crowbars, and fire extinguishers. This was not a spontaneous act. They arrived equipped, prepared, and determined to cause as much damage as possible.”
He added, “Their reckless disregard for public and private property has come at a combined cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds to the taxpayer and a local employer. It also wasted the precious time of emergency services.”
“It is not a criminal offence to express political views. However, the evidence we presented to the jury at trial clearly demonstrated that the actions of these four firmly crossed the line into criminality.”
“Attacks on workplaces place emergency services under unnecessary strain and leave workers feeling unsafe. We will always prosecute whenever individuals cause serious damage to property in this way.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
