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.
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Palestine Action has been proscribed – but what does that mean?
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.
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Last month, the UK government banned Palestine Action – meaning anyone supporting the group could be prosecuted under anti-terror laws.
Since then, more than 100 people around the UK have been arrested in connection with supporting the now proscribed group.
