Royal Family News: Man Arrested with Weapon at Windsor Castle Charged Under Treason Act
Royal Family news reveals that a man arrested last year for carrying a crossbow at Windsor Castle was charged with treason on Tuesday, August 2.
According to Forbes, the man was charged under an 1842 law that criminalizes carrying a weapon in the Queen’s presence with “intent to injure or alarm her Majesty.” Read on and we’ll fill you in on the details.
Royal Family News – The Backstory
Royal Family news reveals that, at the time of the incident, which occurred on Christmas Day, Queen Elizabeth was inside Windsor Castle with Prince Charles and his wife Kate Middleton as well as other members of the Royal family.
The 20-year-old suspect, Jaswant Singh Chail, was arrested before he could enter the building. He was also charged with threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon. The charge, under the Treason Act of 1842, is for “discharging or aiming firearms, or throwing or using any offensive matter or weapon, with intent to injure or alarm her Majesty,” per US News.
Not The First Time
At the time, Her Majesty had been staying at Windsor Castle for Christmas instead of spending it on her Sandringham estate in Norfolk as she normally did, according to the BBC. The Queen was scheduled to be joined by her son, Prince Charles, and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, along with the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
In 1981, Marcus Sarjeant was imprisoned for five years under this section of the Treason Act after he fired blanks at the Queen while she was riding down The Mall in London during the Trooping the Colour parade.
Chail Criminal Proceedings Are ‘Active’
The Crown Prosecution Service verified that the decision to press charges came after an investigation by the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism unit.
Head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime and counter-terrorism division spoke on the matter saying, “The CPS has authorized the Metropolitan police to charge Jaswant Singh Chail with offenses after he was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle on 25 December 2021 carrying a crossbow.
“The CPS reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Chail are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.” Chail is in police custody and is scheduled to appear before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on August 17.
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