Justice Nicholas Hilliard presided over the case at the Old Bailey court in London and is expected to announce the sentencing early next month
A British Sikh man, Jaswant Singh Chail, who was armed with a crossbow and admitted to committing treason by threatening to kill Queen Elizabeth II on Christmas Day 2021 at Windsor Castle, has issued a formal apology to King Charles III and the entire royal family. This development came to light during a recent court hearing on September 15, as reported by PTI.
Chail, aged 21 at the time of the incident, had initially claimed that he intended to “assassinate” the late Queen as an act of revenge for the tragic 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar. A social media video surfaced shortly after his arrest, where he made this declaration. However, in a letter submitted to the court, Chail expressed profound “distress and sadness” for his actions.
Justice Nicholas Hilliard presided over the case at the Old Bailey court in London and is expected to announce the sentencing early next month.
Chail’s defense barrister, Nadia Chbat, informed the court that her client had extended his apologies to both the royal family and King Charles III. She emphasized that Chail was deeply embarrassed and ashamed of bringing such distressing and alarming circumstances to the royal family’s doorstep.
According to court documents presented during the hearing, Chail comes from a “strong family unit.” His father works as a software consultant in the aerospace industry, his mother is a special needs teacher, and he has a twin sister who is a university student.
It was revealed during the proceedings that Chail had been grappling with mental health issues and had been influenced by an artificial intelligence “girlfriend” named Sarai, driven partly by his fascination with ‘Star Wars’.
The prosecution, on the other hand, has deemed this incident as a grave crime and is seeking the maximum possible sentence. Chail participated in the court hearing via a video link from the high-security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor in Berkshire. The hearing on September 15 followed presentations from psychiatrists who evaluated Chail’s mental state, as the judge considers whether he should be imprisoned, detained under the UK Mental Health Act, or a combination of both.
Prior to this, Chail had already pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including an offense under Section 2 of the Treason Act, 1842; an offense related to threats to kill, as per Section 16 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; and a charge for possession of an offensive weapon, as defined by Section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953.
Under the provisions of the 1842 Treason Act, it is considered a criminal offense to assault the British Sovereign or carry a firearm or offensive weapon in their presence with the intent to harm or alarm them or cause a breach of peace
The Metropolitan Police released a statement highlighting that Chail had recorded a video wherein he expressed his intent to harm the late Queen, which he then shared with a group of contacts shortly before his arrest. Further investigations uncovered additional evidence regarding his planning and motivations. The evidence indicated his harbored resentment towards the British empire for its historical treatment of Indian people.
During the incident on December 25, 2021, the Queen, who passed away in September the following year, was in her private apartments at Windsor Castle. Two officers spotted Chail within the castle grounds, and one approached him. He was dressed in black attire and wore a handmade metal mask, informing the officers that he intended to kill Queen Elizabeth II. Chail was found in possession of a crossbow loaded with a bolt, prompting the officers to draw their Taser guns and apprehend him.
The social media video, which surfaced after the incident, featured a masked individual identifying himself as Jaswant Singh Chail, an Indian Sikh, expressing his desire to “assassinate” the Queen as an act of retaliation for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919.
Under the provisions of the 1842 Treason Act, it is considered a criminal offense to assault the British Sovereign or carry a firearm or offensive weapon in their presence with the intent to harm or alarm them or cause a breach of peace.
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