Man armed with a crossbow who wanted to ‘kill the Queen’ due to be sentenced

Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, was detained in the castle grounds on Christmas Day 2021 while the Queen was in residence

Court artist sketch of Jaswant Singh Chail by Elizabeth Cook (PA)

A man who broke into Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow to kill the late Queen is due to be sentenced for treason 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 clothes and a metal mask as he adopted the persona of a Star Wars villain for the video.

In the clip, the defendant, who has Sikh Indian heritage, said he was seeking revenge for the Amritsar massacre in 1919, when British troops opened fire on thousands of Indians and left up to 1,500 dead.

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.