Audrey Cherryl Mogan of the Garden Court Protest Rights Team acted for Mohammed Malik, one of the ‘Barclays Five’ at Preston Crown Court. Audrey was instructed to argue against the Crown’s contention that their conviction for criminal damage had a ’terrorism connection’ pursuant to s.69 of the Sentencing Act 2020.
Audrey led Iqra Shahid of Garden Court North Chambers, instructed by Nicky Hall and Simon Pook of Robert Lizar Solicitors.
In a ruling today, the recorder of Preston found that the five Palestine Action activists (‘Barclays Five’), who were found guilty of criminal damage in June 2026, will not be sentenced as terrorists.
In August 2024, the ‘Barclays five’ took part in a protest where they broke windows and threw red paint at a branch of Barclays Bank in Burnley, Lancashire, prior to Palestine Action’s proscription as a terrorist group. The Bank was targeted as Barclays held shares in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer.
The recorder of Preston, Judge Altham, found that the criminal damage did not meet the high threshold of serious damage for a terrorist connection finding.
