Accused pleaded guilty to trying to kill Queen Elizabeth
2023.02.03 08:50
Accused pleaded guilty to trying to kill Queen Elizabeth
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – Friday, a man pleaded guilty in a London court to violating the Treason Act and threatening to kill Queen Elizabeth II after he was found with a loaded crossbow at her Windsor Castle home.
When Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, was apprehended around 8 a.m. on Christmas Day, 2021, in the grounds of the castle west of London, he said, “I am here to kill the queen.” He was wearing black clothing, a hood, a metal mask, and gloves.
On the day of the incident, Elizabeth, who passed away in September of last year at the age of 96, was present at the castle, along with her son, now King Charles, and other members of her immediate family.
According to prosecutors, Chail had planned the attack for months. In an area where the intruder would have access to the private quarters, he was confronted by a protection officer after entering the castle grounds.
The “Supersonic X-bow” that was recovered was a crossbow whose discharged bolt has the potential to cause serious or fatal injuries.
Before entering the castle grounds, Chail, who was from Southampton in southern England, had recorded a video that he sent to his contacts list approximately ten minutes prior to his arrest.
“I’m sorry for what I did and will do. In the video, he said, “I am going to attempt to assassinate Elizabeth, queen of the royal family.” He was shown holding a crossbow and covering his face.
Chail said, “This is revenge for those who died in the massacre in 1919,” referring to the incident in which British colonial soldiers shot and killed nearly 400 Sikhs in their holy city of Amritsar in northwestern India.
Since the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, when British forces opened fire on unarmed civilians gathered to protest a colonial law, Indians have long demanded a formal apology from Britain.
“After making threats to kill her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Chail entered the protected areas within Windsor Castle. Nick Price, head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service, stated, “Thankfully, police officers intervened, and nobody was hurt.”
“This was a serious incident, but thankfully rare,” said the author.
Electronic devices that indicated Chail had previously applied to the Ministry of Defense and the Grenadier Guards in an effort to get in touch with the royal family were also found, according to the prosecution.
Chail wore a black jacket to the videolink hearing on Friday at London’s Old Bailey court. He spoke only to confirm his name and plead guilty to the three charges of making threats to kill, possessing an offensive weapon, and violating the Treason Act.
Chail would be sentenced on March 31 by Judge Jeremy Baker, and the court ordered that medical reports be prepared.
Chail is the first person in 40 years to be found guilty of possessing a firearm or offensive weapon in the presence of the sovereign with the intent to injure or alarm them under the 1842 Treason Act.
After pleading guilty to firing single shots at the Queen during the annual “Trooping the Colour” parade in central London, Marcus Sarjeant was given a five-year prison sentence in 1981.
