A man who allegedly brought a crossbow to Windsor Castle last Christmas said he wanted to kill the Queen, a court has heard.
Jaswant Singh Chail, 20, appeared at Westminster magistrates court via video link from Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire on Wednesday morning, having been charged with an offence under section 2 of the Treason Act, possession of an offensive weapon and making threats to kill.
At the time of Chail’s arrest at the castle, the Queen was celebrating Christmas at the royal residence with Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla.
Chail, wearing a dark jacket over a black top, sat at a table with his arms folded during the hearing, speaking to confirm his name, date of birth and current address at Broadmoor.
The most serious charge Chail faces under the Treason Act states: “On December 25 2021 at Windsor Castle, near to the person of the Queen, you did wilfully produce or have a loaded crossbow with intent to use the same to injure the person of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, or to alarm Her Majesty.”
A separate charge alleges that Chail made “a threat intending that the other would fear that it would be carried out to kill a third person, namely Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second”.
A third charge states he had “an offensive weapon, namely a loaded crossbow” in a public place.
Chail was not asked to enter pleas to any of the charges and was remanded in custody up to his next appearance at the Old Bailey on 14 September.
Chail was allegedly spotted in the grounds of Windsor Castle at about 8.10am on Christmas Day last year.
The Supersonic X-Bow weapon he is said to have been carrying had the potential to cause “serious or fatal injuries”, the court heard.
The prosecution said the allegations were not being treated as a terrorism offence but had been dealt with by the counter-terrorism division.
The last person to be jailed under the Treason Act was Marcus Sarjeant in 1981, who pleaded guilty to having fired blank shots at the Queen while she was riding down the Mall in London during the trooping the colour that year.
