Treason charge in castle crossbow case
Man, 20, first to be accused of such an offence in 40 years after alleged threat to kill Queen at Windsor
A 20-year-old man who was arrested carrying a crossbow in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day has become the first person in more than 40 years to be charged with offences under the Treason Act. Jaswant Singh Chail, from Southampton, was charged yesterday – almost eight months after the incident – with intending to injure or alarm the Queen under Section 2 of the 1842 Act. He was also charged with making threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon.
A MAN who was arrested carrying a crossbow in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day has become the first person in more than 40 years to be charged with offences under the Treason Act.
Jaswant Singh Chail, from Southampton, was charged yesterday – almost eight months after the incident – with intending to injure or alarm the Queen under Section 2 of the 1842 Act.
The 20-year-old was also charged with making threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon.
The decision to charge Mr Chail, who was initially sectioned under the Mental Health Act, was made following an investigation by Scotland Yard’s Coun- ter Terrorism Command.
He will appear at Westminster magistrates’ court on Aug 17.
Nick Price, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “The CPS has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Jaswat Singh Chail with offences after he was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle on December 25 2021 carrying a crossbow.
“This decision has been made following an investigation carried out by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
“Mr Chail has been charged with making threats to kill, possession of an offensive weapon, and an offence under the 1842 Treason Act.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Chail are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.”
Mr Chail was arrested inside the grounds of Windsor Castle at about 8.30am on Christmas Day while the Queen was in residence, prompting a review of royal security. The Queen, 96, was spending Christmas at Windsor rather than her traditional festive retreat of Sandringham, due to concerns over the spread of the new Covid variant.
A video in which threats against the Queen were allegedly made, had been uploaded to social media a short time before Mr Chail was apprehended.
The incident was the latest in a string of security breaches at Windsor Castle in recent years.
In April last year a woman was arrested after being found wandering around the grounds of the Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park, claiming to be looking for Prince Andrew.
In 2003 there was a major alert after a self-styled comedian gained entry to the castle dressed as Osama bin Laden during Prince William’s 21st birthday party.
Mr Chail grew up in Hampshire and at the time of his arrest was living with his parents, who are directors of an IT firm, and his twin sister at a house on a
private estate in the village of North Baddesley in Hampshire.
The investigation was initially carried out by Thames Valley Police but was later handed to Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command because of the seriousness of the case.
In 2011, a man scaled the gates of Windsor while drunk. Robert Pennefather, then 32, of Ireland, came within 20 yards of the monarch’s private apartments but the Queen was not in residence at the time.
He received a suspended jail sentence and was banned from UK pubs for a year.
In January of this year, a no-fly zone of up to 2,500ft was imposed over the castle following an application by the Thames Valley and Metropolitan police forces.
The most serious security breach happened in 1982, when Michael Fagan climbed a wall to enter Buckingham Palace and wandered into the Queen’s bedroom and spoke to Her Majesty.
In 2016 a man with a previous murder conviction admitted trespassing after scaling a perimeter wall at Buckingham Palace and asking if the monarch was at home.