A man with a “fixation” on accessing royal grounds has been told he faces a possible custodial sentence after admitting to twice trespassing at Buckingham Palace – including an occasion when he was already on bail over a previous attempt.
Daniel George Robert Brydges admitted trying to gain entry to the palace on 18 and 22 December last year, and a further charge of criminal damage on the first occasion. The Queen was at Windsor Castle on both occasions.
“He climbed over the Royal Mews fence on Buckingham Palace Road. He then scaled a second fence and, while doing so, he caused criminal damage to the barbed wire on the fence,” said Sudara Weerasena, prosecuting, describing the first incident.
Weerasena said that security officers spotted Brydges on CCTV shortly after 5pm on Saturday 18 December last year, then police officers tracked him down and arrested him.
Brydges later told police he was homeless and looking for somewhere to sleep, Weerasena said. He was bailed the next day on the condition that he would not attempt to enter any royal residences. But, three days later, Brydges returned to the Royal Mews fence.
Weerasena told the court that, at about 1pm, Brydges “stooped behind a Land Rover”, before being challenged by a security officer. “At this point he climbs back over the fence and tries to run away.”
Brydges was chased by the security officer and later “claimed he had gone in there to collect a bottle of water which he had dropped … The second offence was committed while he was on bail. He was given clear conditions not to enter that area,” the prosecutor said.
Weerasena said Brydges had also attempted to gain entry to the Queen’s home on two previous occasions, both in 2021, and that each time he travelled to London from Portsmouth for this purpose.
The judge, Annabel Pilling, said Brydges had a “fixation” on gaining entry to palace grounds and described his offences as serious. “This is a particularly rare offence but it’s a particularly serious one. They are made more serious because you committed the second offence while you were on bail. You meant to breach security on the second occasion and there’s evidence that there’s a pattern here. All the sentencing options will be open to the court.”
Defending, Rajesh Bhamm said Brydges had been experiencing a “psychotic episode” at the time of the offences.
The 33-year-old from Portsmouth, in Hampshire, wore glasses and a black suit with no tie when he appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday. He attempted to hide his face behind a folder as he left the court. He was bailed until his sentencing at Westminster magistrates court on 9 November.
