Four people accused of damaging two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in a demonstration allegedly carried out by members of Palestine Action will face trial in January 2027.
Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, and spoke only to confirm their names.
Police previously said the incident in Oxfordshire on 20 June had caused about £7 million worth of damage to the aircraft.
It has previously been alleged the defendants had been heavily involved in Palestine Action at the time.
On the same day they were charged, MPs backed the Government’s move to ban the direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
Legislation passed in the Commons as MPs voted 385 to 26, majority 359, in favour of proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) charged the defendants with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, under the Criminal Law Act 1977.
On Friday, the defendants appeared at the Old Bailey amid heightened security, with a timetable set for the course of the case.
Watched by members of the public in a packed public gallery, the defendants spoke only to confirm their identities, with one mouthing “I love you” to his supporters.
As the prosecution have claimed the case has a “terrorist connection”, it was heard in the terrorism list before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, with the court told a provision trial date had been identified for 18 January 2027.
Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay KC accepted that was “obviously a considerable distance away” and there was uncertainty at this stage how long any trial would take.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said the 2027 trial date meant an “inordinately long time” for the four young people to wait in custody.
She said: “The sooner the real issues in this case are identified the better for everyone, particularly in fixing the trial date.”
The senior judge confirmed the 2027 trial date at the Old Bailey but said she would review it at a plea hearing on January 16 next year.
