Three Women Receive Community Sentences for Newcastle Factory Damage

Newcastle Crown Court sentenced three women to community orders after they were convicted of criminal damage at a factory on Scotswood Road. Hollie Mildenhall, 25, Georgia Coote, 28, and Summer Oxlade, 29, each received 12-month community orders and must pay £600 in compensation.

The court ordered Oxlade to complete 100 hours of unpaid work. Mildenhall and Coote each received orders to complete 80 hours of unpaid work. The jury rejected the defendants' claim that their actions were lawful because they sought to prevent weapons from reaching Palestine.

The three women arrived at the Pearson Engineering premises at approximately 05:20 GMT on February 18, 2025. They wore red overalls and were accompanied by two men linked to Palestine Action. The men intimidated security staff before leaving the scene.

Mildenhall and Coote climbed onto the gatehouse roof. Oxlade blocked the entrance by tipping rubble from a flatbed lorry and later attempted to chain herself to the vehicle. The group discharged red paint from fire extinguishers, used a slingshot to break windows, and destroyed a sign at the site.

, preventing day-shift employees from entering the workplace that morning. Two security guards had their coats damaged during the incident.

Engineering is owned by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, an Israeli state-controlled weapons manufacturer. A company representative testified that no items produced at the Tyneside facility had been supplied to Israel. Prosecutor Michael Bunch stated the women's objective was to cause maximum disruption based on their belief that military equipment for Israeli forces in Gaza was being manufactured there.

None of the defendants had prior convictions, though Oxlade had received a caution for spray-painting a statue during a 2020 demonstration. Coote's representative described her as a principled individual who supported refugees and disadvantaged communities and characterized the protest as non-violent.