Overview
- Jurors found five activists guilty of criminal damage for an August 5, 2024 attack on a Burnley Barclays branch that caused about £212,805 in damage, with convictions returned on June 15, 2026.
- Presiding Judge Philip Parry has circulated a recent Woolwich judgment and told defence lawyers he will consider whether the Burnley action had a 'terrorist connection' before a sentencing hearing set for September 4, 2026.
- The Woolwich ruling from June 2026 attached a terrorism-related sentencing regime to direct-action criminal damage for the first time, producing longer custodial terms and up to 15 years of post-release notification in that case.
- Defendants and civil-rights groups say the possible terror designation was not raised during trial and will argue the bank attack was not seriously linked to terrorism, while the Crown Prosecution Service has sought a terror sentence citing the Woolwich precedent.
- If the court rules there is a terrorist connection the five could lose automatic early release, be required to serve a larger portion of any sentence, and face extended licence conditions and police monitoring, a change that legal experts warn could broaden use of counterterror powers against protest.