Maria Munir secures unanimous acquittal for Palestine Action protestor in multi-handed criminal damage trial

Maria Munir represented a young woman, LC, who stood trial in the Crown Court as the first defendant with three others, all of whom were part of a group of 10 individuals charged with criminal damage. LC was alleged to have jointly participated in what the prosecution called a well-organised, rehearsed, and sinister plan to cause criminal damage to two entrances of a building, captured on CCTV. The target of the Palestine Action protest was the London office of Scotiabank, which, at the time, was the largest foreign investor in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, and has since divested. LC was alleged to have assisted by knowingly bringing a suitcase containing a paint-filled fire extinguisher to pass onto others and taking part in a lock-on protest as a form of encouragement for spray painting, similar to a previous protest. This trial was the first in a series of prosecutions for this direct action.

All legal defences were ruled to not have arisen at the conclusion of all evidence after legal argument. However, the groundwork had already been laid. Maria ensured that LC’s neurodivergence was not held against her. Maria had successfully prevented the prosecution from excising and sanitising the expressions of the protest and its reasons. Maria forensically examined hundreds of pages of unused material, disclosed late, meaning that in cross-examination, the OIC accepted that there had been no evidence to suggest that LC or those on trial had knowledge of or involvement in a plan to commit criminal damage. Even the presence of paint marks on LC was shown to be irrelevant, given that paint had transferred onto many of the arresting officers and even the police cordon control log.

Following a nine-day trial, itself over two years after the protest took place, LC was acquitted unanimously by a jury after a deliberation of 2 hours and 2 minutes, along with the three co-defendants (two of whom represented themselves). 

Maria represented the first defendant and was instructed by Nicola Hall of Robert Lizar Solicitors.