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Correcting misinformation about the Filton 4, and Samuel Corner’s assault of police sergeant Kate Evans
If, like me, you've had to deal with a tsunami of trolls insisting that Samuel Corner, one of the Filton 4, “broke the spine” of police sergeant Kate Evans when he hit her with a sledgehammer during the direct action at an Elbit Systems factory in August 2024, here are some relevant facts.
Firstly, Sgt. Evans suffered a fracture, but her spine was not broken, and there has been no lasting damage. Secondly, Corner panicked when he attacked Sgt. Evans, fearing that one of his fellow activists was being “seriously hurt.”
It doesn't justify his actions, but it does help to explain why the jury refused to convict him of GBH “with intent”, and, instead, of GBH “without intent.” He hadn't undertaken the action planning or intending to inflict GBH (grievous bodily harm).
The trolls, by the way, were not out in force here, but on Facebook, where my post about the sentencing has had over 200,000 views. I spent some time going through the comments, but then wished I hadn’t, as it was a sewer of misplaced triumphalism and overt aggression. One aspect that leapt out at me in particular, however, was the repeated lie that Samuel Corner had “broken the spine” or “broken the back” of Sgt. Evans.
Sources: realmedia.press/the-fil…
My Facebook post is here: facebook.com/photo?set=…
