A man who broke into Windsor Castle with a crossbow in a bid to “kill the Queen” will learn his fate when he appears at the Old Bailey on Thursday.
Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, climbed into the castle grounds with the weapon and later declared “I’m here to kill the Queen”, on Christmas Day 2021. On the day he got into the castle grounds, Star Wars fanatic Chail sent a homemade video to family and friends on WhatsApp in which he apologised for what he was about to do and called himself “Darth Chailus”.
He wore dark clothing and a metal mask as he adopted the persona of a villain from the Star Wars franchise. In the clip, Chail, who has Sikh Indian heritage, said he was seeking revenge for the Amritsar massacre.
The 1919 incident saw British troops open fire on thousands of Indians. Around 1,500 people were thought to have died.
He embarked on his murderous mission after his bids to join the armed forces – to get close to the royal family – failed in late 2021, the court was told.
Chail, who admitted making a threat to kill the Queen and having a loaded crossbow, was encouraged to kill by an artificial intelligence girlfriend called Sarai, the court heard.
During the last hearing, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said Chail’s crimes were so serious they should attract the highest possible sentence. The maximum sentence for treason is seven years in prison.
Had Chail raised his weapon at his target, he could have been charged with the more serious offence of high treason, which carries a life sentence, she said.
