TREASON

Guilty, would-be assassin who scaled the walls of Windsor Castle with loaded crossbow to kill Queen

A MASKED intruder armed with a crossbow who broke into the grounds of Windsor Castle and said ‘I am here to kill the Queen’ admitted treason yesterday.

Jaswant Singh Chail posted a chilling video on TikTok pledging to ‘assassinate Elizabeth, Queen of the Royal Family’ as he stood in the grounds of the castle armed with a loaded crossbow on Christmas Day, 2021.

In a major security blunder, Chail, 19, was able to prowl the grounds for two hours and get within sight of the late Queen’s private apartments where she and other members of the Royal Family were celebrating Christmas.

The former supermarket worker, now 21, yesterday admitted trying to harm the Queen after he became the first person in more than 40 years to be charged with treason. Now it can be revealed that he had applied for jobs at the Ministry of Defence Police and the Grenadier Guards in a bid to get closer to the monarch.

He also reconnoitred at Windsor Castle two days before the attack. Prosecutors described his actions as ‘akin to terrorism’.

It can also be revealed that Chail liked to joke about terrorism, even as far back as his school days in Southampton. One primary school friend told the Mail: ‘ He was always a bit odd, and quite quiet most of the time. He used to make terrorist jokes – not pro-terror or anything, just bantering about it.’

Following his conviction, details about the extraordinary incident on December 25, 2021, can also be revealed.

Chail scaled the perimeter of the castle grounds with a nylon rope ladder around 6am. A police officer on duty at the main vehicle gate into the private part of the castle recalled Chail looking like he was ‘dressed for Halloween’ walking slowly through the private grounds towards him around 8.10am.

Chail had his hood up to hide his metal mask, which the officer described as ‘like something out of a vigilante movie’.

The officer unclipped his Taser as he said: ‘ Morning, can I help mate?’ Chail replied simply: ‘I am here to kill the Queen.’ Seeing the intruder’s crossbow, the unnamed policeman drew the Taser and shouted ‘Drop the weapon’. Chail immediately complied and placed his hands on top of his head, repeating: ‘I am here to kill the Queen.’ Two Grenadier Guards on sentry duty, also arrived.

His crossbow was ready to fire, with a bolt loaded and the safety catch off. Prosecutors said the weapon had ‘ the potential to cause serious or fatal injury’. A phone was seized from Chail, together with a handwritten note that read: ‘Please don’t remove my clothes, shoes and gloves, masks etc, don’t wont (sic) post mortem, don’t want embalming, thank you and I’m sorry.’

Police discovered that he had uploaded a video to TikTok ten minutes earlier. Using a filter on the video to distort his voice, he said: ‘I’m sorry for what I’ve done and what I will do. I will attempt to assassinate Elizabeth, Queen of the Royal Family.’

He also said on the video that the attack was revenge for the 1919 Amritsar massacre in India when 379 protesters were killed by British forces.

‘I’m an Indian Sikh, a Sith. My name was Jaswant Singh Chail, my name is Darth Jones.’ Police believe the mention of Sith and Darth Jones were references to the Star Wars films.

Chail, who lived in Southampton with his parents and twin sister, had no criminal history and neighbours were stunned by his arrest. He was assessed and detained under the Mental Health Act before being sectioned and moved to Broadmoor high-security hospital.

He admitted attempting to injure or alarm the sovereign contrary to section two of the Treason Act 1842, along with possession of an offensive weapon and making threats to kill the Queen.

Experts will be consulted over whether he should face jail or be held at Broadmoor. He will be sentenced on March 31.

‘I don’t want embalming’