The defendants were said to be members or supporters of Palestine Action which had deliberately targeted Instro Precision for its association with Elbit, an Israeli-linked defence company.
Ms Whyte said: “The attack was carefully planned, and everyone involved had their own specific role.”
The attackers were broadly split into two groups, one dressed in red boiler suits and the others in black, jurors heard.
The black team were there to “overwhelm” security guards, enabling the red team to enter the building and “smash up as much property as they could and to keep smashing until they were stopped”, Ms Whyte said.
.jpg?f=3x2&w=732&q=0.6)
(left to right) Defendants Xavi Davies, Eoin O'Meara and Nasser Akhtar arrive at the Old Bailey in London on October 6, 2026 (Credit-Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
Others were involved as organisers, drivers or tasked with blocking entry to the site, the court was told.
In the days leading up to the break-in, a “safe house” was rented in Herne Bay, with defendants converging on Kent from various locations around the UK, jurors heard.
A white van was also hired to transport the group to Instro and help some of them get away after the attack, the court heard.
Parts of the attack itself were captured on various cameras including CCTV and the intruders’ mobile phones, jurors were told.
The attackers had approached along a river bank path and got in by cutting a mesh fence, jurors heard.
At 3.20am, security guard Billy Dennis spotted black-clad figures in balaclavas at the perimeter using bolt cutters, it was claimed.
Ms Whyte told jurors: “There were about 15 or so people both male and female and they were armed with sledgehammers, handheld hammers, fireworks and spray bottles, bolt cutters and fire extinguishers.”
Mr Dennis radioed his colleague Michael Robins inside the building to alert him of the breach and got out of his Land Rover to ask the trespassers to leave.
Maximillian Dixon (left) and Xavi Davies, two of the defendants on trial, outside the Old Bailey on October 6, 2026. (Credit Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
When they ignored him, he drove towards the fence and the attackers allegedly began to lob fireworks in his direction.
They then allegedly surrounded the Land Rover and smashed the windows with hammers, axes and other implements with Mr Dennis still inside as the red team approached the building, it was alleged.
Mr Robins saw his colleague’s Land Rover being attacked and members of the black team let off fireworks and red smoke bombs, the court heard.
He tried to grab a male to enable Mr Dennis to get out of the car and was screamed at by a woman holding a hammer, it was claimed.
Mr Robins then made his way to the front of the building and was sprayed with red paint which got on his face and body, Ms Whyte said.
Mr Dennis called 999 and both men then went into the building where the red team were using weapons to damage equipment, jurors heard.
The guards tried to communicate with the intruders but felt under threat so retreated, picking up various weapons outside, Ms Whyte said.
After more staff arrived, six of the red team were detained before police attended the scene, the court was told.
The black team left they way they had come along the riverbank and back to the hired van which arrived back at the safe house at 4.33am, the court was told.
Ms Whyte said: “Photographs taken after the incident show that the red team succeeded in causing extensive damage both to fixtures and fittings and to equipment inside the premises and to the fabric of the building especially at the front where they gained entry.”
The nine men and women on trial allegedly included members of the red team, one of the black team and others who helped at the perimeter and with travel and other arrangements.
The defendants are: Julija Brigadirova, 34, from Manchester; Nasser Akhtar, 39, of Crystal Palace; Elliot Wilson, 26 from Liverpool; Maximillian Dixon, 31, of Brockley, south-east London; Nirad Abrol, 27, of Birmingham; Seirol Davies, 31, from Plymouth; Xavi Davies, 23, of Binfield, Berkshire; Eoin O’Meara, 36, of Bristol; and Hannah Davidson, 53, of Edinburgh.
They deny the charges against them and the trial continues.
