Man jailed after entering Windsor Castle with a crossbow

A man who gained entry to the grounds of Windsor Castle, armed with a crossbow, has been jailed for nine years, following an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

During the incident on 25 December 2021, Jaswant Singh Chail was wearing black clothing and a metal mask and told officers he was there to kill the Queen.

The now 21-year-old was arrested by officers within the grounds.

He had previously made a video of himself stating his desire to harm the late Queen, which he sent to a group of contacts shortly before he was arrested.

At an earlier court appearance, Chail pleaded guilty to a Treason Act offence and other charges relating to the incident.

At the Old Bailey on Thursday 5 October, he was sentenced to a nine-year hybrid order. He will serve part of his sentence in a mental health facility and the remainder in prison. He will then remain on licence for a further five years after his release.

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Chail had been planning his actions for several months, and up until shortly before his arrest, his intent to cause serious harm to or kill the Queen was clear.

“The professionalism, skill and bravery that the officers demonstrated as they confronted a masked man armed with a crossbow was exemplary. The fact that nobody came to any harm was down to the way they handled the situation. This could have easily ended up with somebody getting seriously injured, or worse.

“An extremely thorough investigation was carried out after Chail’s arrest and the vast amount of evidence gathered by detectives has led to his conviction for these very serious offences.

“Day in, day out, officers from our Royalty and Parliamentary Protection Command carry out their duties with great dedication and professionalism, keeping the individuals and locations they protect safe from a whole host of potential threats and risks.”

Image by Roman Grac from Pixabay