Three men who broke into and damaged a Shipley arms manufacturer to highlight the supply of weapons components to countries around the world, including Israel, have each been jailed for 20 months.

Addressing Najam Saeed Shah, 53, Daniel Jones, 30, and Julian Gao, 22, at Bradford Crown Court, His Honour Judge Ahmed Nadim said: “Each of you is to be sentenced for the particular criminal conduct, not for the beliefs that motivated it.”

A fourth protester, Ruby Hamill, 21, was not in court.

Judge Nadim opted not to sentence Hamill in her absence as she faces other charges at other courts and is currently at large.

She is subject to an arrest warrant.

In April 2024 the foursome broke into the premises of Teledyne Microwave UK on Otley Road in Shipley and used sledgehammers and crowbars to smash the roof of a two-storey building on the site.

Over the 14 hours of their protest the quartet, all members of Palestine Action, caused damage estimated at more than £571,000 to the roof and interior of an office block as part of a protest highlighting the conflict in Gaza.

In addition, the notional cost of having ambulance crews and firefighters on site was put at more than £23,000.

Shah, of Oak Lane, Bradford, Jones, of Rossett Road, Crosby, Sefton, near Liverpool, Gao, of Rusholme Place, Manchester, and Hamill, of Abbey Court, Macleod Street, London, were all convicted by a jury of criminal damage and having articles with intent to destroy/damage property, namely a quantity of sledgehammers, crowbars, and an adapted fire extinguisher.

They were found guilty following a five-day trial in February.

A still picture taken from a video of the attack released by police (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

Judge Nadim told Shah, Jones, and Gao: “It is not part of the court’s function to evaluate or comment upon the moral, political, or ideological merits of the cause said to underline the offending.

“The court is concerned with the application of the law to the facts as found.

“Within a democratic society governed by the rule of law, the appropriate response to perceived or actual unlawfulness, whether national or international, is not to engage in further unlawful conduct, but to pursue lawful means of redress.

“The jury’s verdicts demonstrate that each of you failed in this regard entirely.”

He added: “The rule of law requires that disagreements with lawful authority are addressed through lawful processes rather than criminal conduct.

“It is said, ‘Wherever law ends, tyranny begins’. The corollary is equally true: where the law is upheld, even in difficult times, liberty is preserved.”

In mitigation, the court heard that Shah took the consequences of his actions “very seriously” and had been frank about the upset and concern that a jail sentence would have on his family.

Character references referred to him as a man of “genuine decency” who was “motivated by conscience”.

Jones was said to have been “deeply affected” by the events in Gaza and “felt compelled” to take action.

He was said to be reflective of his “impulsive” reaction, which was described as “extremely rash”, and that he had accepted that it was inappropriate.

Gao, who represented himself, said he had not wanted to take action on the day of the protest and that his behaviour was not done for himself but to highlight his concerns.

He said he acted with good intentions, not out of malice, and that “punishing someone for doing the right thing will not make them think that it is wrong.”

Taking criminal damage as the lead offence Judge Nadim sentenced Shah, Jones, and Gao to 20 months’ imprisonment with eight months, to be served concurrently, for having articles with intent to destroy/damage property.

He told them: “Having regard to the gravity of your conduct and the seriousness of the offences, only a custodial sentence is appropriate.

“You will each serve up to one half of the sentence in custody. The remainder will be served on licence in the community.”

He ordered the confiscation and destruction of the tools used by the group during the protest.

Supporters in the public gallery applauded the three men in the dock when the sentences were announced.

Outside the court they chanted “No justice, no peace.”

Speaking after the sentences were announced, Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle of West Yorkshire Police said: “We welcome the sentence handed down today.

“Everyone has the right to protest lawfully but these individuals involved chose to commit criminal damage causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to the business.

“We will always work to facilitate peaceful protest, but criminal behaviour will not be tolerated, and we will take action against those who break the law.”

Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire & Humberside Julian Briggs said: “Najam Shah, Julian Gao, Ruby Hamill, and Daniel Jones spent over sixteen hours on the roof of Teledyne Defence and Space, systematically damaging it with sledgehammers, crowbars, and fire extinguishers.

“This was not a spontaneous act. They arrived equipped, prepared, and determined to cause as much damage as possible. Their reckless disregard for public and private property has come at a combined cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds to the taxpayer and a local employer. It also wasted the precious time of emergency services.

“It is not a criminal offence to express political views. However, the evidence we presented to the jury at trial clearly demonstrated that the actions of these four firmly crossed the line into criminality.

“Attacks on workplaces place emergency services under unnecessary strain and leave workers feeling unsafe. We will always prosecute whenever individuals cause serious damage to property in this way.”