Latest news with #AmyGardinerGibson
Sky News
18-07-2025
- Sky News
Four accused of damaging planes at RAF base could have to wait until 2027 for trial
Four people accused of damaging two RAF Voyager planes - in a demonstration allegedly carried out by members of Palestine Action - could have to wait until 2027 for their trial. They are alleged to have ridden scooters onto RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed the planes with red paint on 20 June. About £7 million worth of damage was caused to the aircraft, the Old Bailey heard. Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Lewie Chiaramello, 22, Daniel George Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Jony Cink, 24, are accused of conspiring to damage the aircraft and entering a prohibited area. The defendants appeared at the Old Bailey in central London on Friday and were told a shortage of court availability meant they would have to wait 18 months for their trial. A provisional trial fixture of six to eight weeks has been identified from 18 January 2027. However, judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said she would review the date at a plea hearing in January 2026. The four defendants are all currently on remand, and she said that a 2027 trial date meant an "inordinately long time" for the four young people to wait in custody. Friends sat in the public gallery, some made heart signs with their hands towards the defendants. One woman was in tears after the court dates were discussed. Last month, the UK government banned Palestine Action - meaning anyone supporting the group could be prosecuted under anti-terror laws.
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trial date set for alleged Palestine Action members accused of damaging planes at RAF base
Four people accused of damaging two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in a demonstration allegedly carried out by members of Palestine Action will face trial in January 2027. Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, and spoke only to confirm their names. Police previously said the incident in Oxfordshire on 20 June had caused about £7 million worth of damage to the aircraft. It has previously been alleged the defendants had been heavily involved in Palestine Action at the time. On the same day they were charged, MPs backed the Government's move to ban the direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. Legislation passed in the Commons as MPs voted 385 to 26, majority 359, in favour of proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000. Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) charged the defendants with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, under the Criminal Law Act 1977. On Friday, the defendants appeared at the Old Bailey amid heightened security, with a timetable set for the course of the case. Watched by members of the public in a packed public gallery, the defendants spoke only to confirm their identities, with one mouthing 'I love you' to his supporters. As the prosecution have claimed the case has a 'terrorist connection', it was heard in the terrorism list before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, with the court told a provision trial date had been identified for 18 January 2027. Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay KC accepted that was 'obviously a considerable distance away' and there was uncertainty at this stage how long any trial would take. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said the 2027 trial date meant an 'inordinately long time' for the four young people to wait in custody. She said: 'The sooner the real issues in this case are identified the better for everyone, particularly in fixing the trial date.' The senior judge confirmed the 2027 trial date at the Old Bailey but said she would review it at a plea hearing on January 16 next year.
The Independent
03-07-2025
- The Independent
Chants of ‘free Palestine' in court as activists remanded over RAF break-in
Four people have been remanded in custody after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in a protest. The incident, which occurred on 20 June, reportedly involved members of Palestine Action and caused approximately £7 million worth of damage. Amy Gardiner-Gibson, Jony Cink, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, and Lewis Chiaramello were charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place and conspiracy to commit criminal damage. The defendants appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court and are scheduled to appear next at the Old Bailey on 18 July. Counter Terrorism Policing South East is investigating the incident, with a 41-year-old woman released on bail and a 23-year-old man released without charge.
The Independent
03-07-2025
- The Independent
Activists remanded in custody after RAF aircraft break-in
Four people have been remanded in custody after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in a protest reportedly carried out by members of Palestine Action. Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in custody on Thursday. The defendants spoke only to confirm their names and were not asked to enter pleas. The incident in Oxfordshire caused about £7 million worth of damage to the aircraft on June 20, police said previously. Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) on Wednesday charged the defendants with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, under the Criminal Law Act 1977. Prosecutor Richard Link said the charges came after a serious incident of criminal damage was reported on June 20. Each defendant is heavily involved in Palestine Action, he added. He told the court that as far as the prosecution is aware, they live 'transient lifestyles'. There was applause and chants of 'free Palestine' from the packed public gallery as the defendants were led away. One kissed his hands towards the supporters as people shouted 'We love you Daniel'. CTPSE on Wednesday said a 41-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender had been released on bail until September 19. A 23-year-old man was arrested and released without charge, it added. They will next appear at the Old Bailey on July 18.
Telegraph
03-07-2025
- Telegraph
Pictured: Activists charged over Palestine Action's break-in at RAF base
Two people who were charged after Palestine Action activists broke into RAF Brize Norton have been pictured for the first time. Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, are accused of spraying red paint onto two Voyager aircraft at the military base in Oxfordshire on June 20, alongside Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, and Jony Cink, 24. They appeared in court accused of causing £7 million-worth of damage to two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said they had been charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage. The CPS alleges the offences are 'connected to terrorism' and all four appeared for a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday. Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, were pictured ahead of proceedings in a custody van. A video posted by the group showed two people riding electric scooters across the base's runway. One person can be seen approaching an aircraft and spray-painting its engine, before driving away. The pair then left the scene. Before the hearing began Palestine Action posted on social media calling for its supporters to 'mobilise' and around a dozen flag waving demonstrators appeared in solidarity outside the court. Inside the court building, relatives of the defendants hugged each other and wiped away tears. The public gallery was packed with around two dozen keffiyeh-wearing supporters. As the defendants appeared in the dock they clapped and waved to the supporters who cheered and shouted. Shouts of 'free Palestine' at court Judge Daniel Sternberg told the four defendants, who were remanded in custody, that they will next appear at the Old Bailey on 18 July. As they left the court, there were loud shouts of 'We love you Daniel' and 'Free Palestine'. Mr Jeronymides-Norie is a pro-Palestinian artist. He previously ran two now-dissolved art businesses in Barnet, North London. He is understood to have lived with his father in a £1.3m Edwardian townhouse in Barnet, north London. Surrounded by multi-million pound homes in a leafy residential street, the property now appears to be empty with a boarded-up front door and overgrown garden. Neighbours said that police raided the house last Thursday with three territorial support units and a helicopter. Ms Gardiner-Gibson is a former director of an eco-friendly farming co-operative from which she resigned last Friday. She was director of The Peasant Evolution Producers Cooperative between Feb 19 2025 and June 27 2025. The Peasant Evolution Producers Cooperative is an organic farming group of smallholders in Dorset, Somerset and Devon. A listing of the group on Co-Operatives UK says: 'We believe that being a peasant is a way to the future. 'We promote organic farming and sustainable land management, fairtrade, rural crafts and handmade, healthy local food'. Ms Gardiner-Gibson's family live in a large, three storey, five bedroom property in a quiet residential street in Haringey, North London. When approached by the Telegraph, Ms Gardiner-Gibson's mother declined to comment. If convicted, the four defendants face up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action faces proscription Legislation in favour of proscribing Palestine Action passed in the Commons on Wednesday. The motion is expected to be debated and voted on by the House of Lords on Thursday before it becomes law. The group, which has called its proscription unjustified and an 'abuse of power,' has challenged the decision in court and an urgent hearing is expected at the High Court on Friday. Dan Jarvis, the security minister, told MPs the attack at RAF Brize Norton 'was just the latest episode in Palestine Action's long history of harmful activity'. He added: 'Palestine Action has orchestrated a nationwide campaign of property damage featuring attacks that have resulted in serious damage to property and crossed the threshold from direct criminal action into terrorism.' The minister faced backlash from some MPs who described the move as a 'draconian overreach' and likened the group to the Suffragettes. Zarah Sultana, the independent MP for Coventry South, said: 'To equate a spray can of paint with a suicide bomb isn't just absurd, it is grotesque. 'It is a deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalise solidarity and suppress the truth.' CTPSE said a 41-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender in connection with the Brize Norton attack had been released on bail until September 19. A 23-year-old man was also released without charge.
