Four pro-Palestine campaigners who caused damage estimated at more than half a million pounds to the premises of an arms manufacturer in Shipley are to face a retrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict.

Saeed Shah, 51, Daniel Jones, 29, Julian Gao, 20, and Ruby Hamill, 20, will return to Bradford Crown Court on February 9, 2026, for a new trial expected to last seven days.

There were cheers from supporters outside the courtroom as the quartet was released on bail as well as chants of “Free, free Palestine”.

Her Honour Judge Sophie McKone discharged the jury and thanked them for their efforts when they said they were unable to reach a verdict after seven hours of deliberations.

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron then said: “We will re-try the case.”

Emergency services were scrambled to the premises (Image: Newsquest)

Shah, Jones, Gao, and Hamill spent 17 hours on the roof of Teledyne Defence & Space at Airedale House in Acorn Park, Shipley, after cutting through a perimeter fence with an angle grinder and using a telescopic ladder to scale an upper roof at around 5am on April 2 this year, the court heard earlier in the hearing.

The four, all members of the Palestine Action group, used sledgehammers and crowbars to wreck the building’s roof and ignored requests by police to come down, the jury was told.

Teledyne was described in court as a provider of components for the defence and aerospace industries.

It was targeted by Palestine Action due to those components being used in the manufacture of weapons used by the British Army, by NATO forces, and through British arms export licences issued by the British government, for weapons purchased by countries such as Ukraine and Israel.

The scene as emergency services were called in (Image: Newsquest)

During the 17 hours that they were on the roof Shah, Jones, Gao, and Hamill used sledgehammers and crowbars to smash roof tiles, breaking through into the building below, and to shatter windows.

Broken roof tiles were hurled through holes into the office space, and a sledgehammer was dangled on a rope to cause more damage, including to computer equipment.

The vandalism was described as “extensive” with the final cost put at £571,383.

Damage to the roof can be seen (Image: Newsquest)

Police at the scene were joined by firefighters with an aerial pump, which remained on site for the duration of the protest as there were concerns that the building might be set on fire.

Ambulance crews were also present as there were fears for the intruders’ safety.

All four defendants were identified via stills taken from police drone footage.

Shah, of Reedley Road, Reedley, Burnley, Jones, of Rossett Road, Crosby, Sefton, Hamill, of Emu Road, Wandsworth, London, and Gao, of Dalton Ellis Hall, Manchester, were all charged with criminal damage and having articles with intent to destroy/damage property, namely a quantity of sledgehammers, crowbars, and an adapted fire extinguisher.