Hampshire man who broke into Windsor castle with crossbow to harm late Queen to be sentenced

A man from Hampshire is due to be sentenced over the next two days after admitting trying to harm the late Queen.

Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, from Southampton was found in the grounds of Windsor castle carrying a loaded crossbow.

He pleaded guilty to three charges, including one of treason.

Chail had been detained on Christmas Day in 2021, close to the Queen’s private residence where she was at the time.

He told a police protection officer, “I am here to kill the Queen”, before he was handcuffed and arrested.

It was alleged that Chail had previously applied to join the Ministry of Defence Police and the Grenadier Guards, in a bid to get close to the Royal Family.

The Supersonic X-Bow weapon he was carrying had the potential to cause “serious or fatal injuries”.

The court heard that the man sought revenge against the establishment for the treatment of Indians, and had sent a video to about 20 people claiming he was going to attempt to assassinate the Queen.

The video was recorded four days earlier and sent to Chail’s contacts list about 10 minutes before his arrest.

In 1981, Marcus Sarjeant was jailed for five years after pleading guilty under the 1842 Treason Act, which makes it an offence to assault the Queen, or have a firearm or offensive weapon in her presence with intent to injure or alarm her or to cause a breach of peace.

He had fired blank shots at the Queen while she was riding down The Mall in London during the Trooping the Colour parade in 1981.

The last person to be convicted under the separate and more serious 1351 Treason Act was William Joyce, also known as Lord Haw-Haw, who collaborated with Germany during the Second World War.

The sentencing will take place over the course of two days.

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