Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Man admits sex assault on colleague
Officers grab man, 22, who scaled gates and ran towards building
A MAN who initially denied sexually assaulting a work colleague switched his plea halfway through a contested hearing yesterday.
Argir Gunchev, from The Square in Moy, Co Tyrone, accepted the charge after a short adjournment at Dungannon Magistrates Court.
The 36-year-old was captured on CCTV on November 21 last year touching his victim.
District Judge John Meehan told him: “It is unfortunate this matter had to proceed to this stage and the victim required to undergo the ordeal of reliving this experience.”
Gunchev was remanded on existing bail to return for sentencing next month. A MAN was in custody last night after trying to break into Buckingham Palace as the Queen slept.
In a major security breach, the 22-year-old vaulted over the huge front gates of the palace and ran towards the building at 2am yesterday.
He was apprehended by officers who were already on the premises as part of the royals’ security detail.
Insiders fear the intruder was attempting to replicate Michael Fagan, who famously entered the Queen’s bedroom 37 years ago.
It was claimed last night that it took police four minutes to catch him.
But a palace source said: “He was quickly and successfully apprehended by police at the scene. He did not manage to get near the main building and was arrested immediately. Officers quickly established he was carrying no weapons and the incident was not deemed to be terror related.”
The Metropolitan Police is now investigating how the intruder managed to get into the grounds after scaling the metal gates.
Palace insiders said the 93-year-old monarch was “made aware of the incident at the earliest opportunity” while staff were relieved “everything was locked up”.
A palace source added: “The Queen has full confidence in her security detail and will expect to be informed of the details of the report into the incident.”
The monarch was in residence with the Royal Standard flying. However the Duke of Edinburgh, who spends most of his time at Sandringham in Norfolk, was not.
The Queen had earlier shrugged off offers of assistance to plant a hornbeam sapling to commemorate 100 years of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Histon, Cambs.
She handed her black Launer handbag to a lady-in-waiting and, when the job was done, even leaned on her spade.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said last night: “Officers have arrested a man on suspicion of trespass.
“The 22-year-old man was arrested at approximately 2am on Wednesday 10 July by officers from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command after he climbed over the front gates at Buckingham Palace.
“The man was not found in possession of any offensive weapons and the incident is not being treated as terroristrelated. He remains in custody at a Central London police station.”