Four pro-Palestine protesters are set to face a retrial next year after a jury failed to reach a verdict over allegations of criminal damage at an aerospace factory in Wolverhampton.
Iain Evans, 33, Hisham Alkhamesi, 23, Hana Yun-Stevens, 24, and Frank Sherman, 23, who is also known as Bea Sherman, all deny a single charge of criminal damage linked to an incident at Moog Wolverhampton Ltd in August last year.
Prosecutors allege the group unlawfully caused damage to the factory after believing the company was part of the supply chain supporting Israel. The Crown argues the defendants had no lawful excuse for their actions.
Appearing via video link at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, the four defendants confirmed only their identities while prosecutor Rupert Jones requested that the case be retried.
The prosecution alleges the group used power tools to cut through sections of the factory roof before damaging hundreds of solar panels at the Pendeford site in Wolverhampton.
Mr Justice Wall approved the application for a retrial and said proceedings would begin on 8 March next year, or shortly afterwards. The trial is expected to last around five days, although the final court venue has not yet been confirmed.
The judge also ruled that all four defendants would remain on bail under the same conditions that have applied throughout the case.
The decision follows the original trial in June, when jurors at Birmingham Crown Court were unable to reach unanimous or majority verdicts on the charges, leading to the case being listed for a fresh hearing next year.