Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Man sentenced to nine years for foiled crossbow attack on Queen

Jaswant Singh Chail pleaded guilty to three charges at a previous hearing, becoming the first person to admit treason in the UK in decades

Man sentenced to nine years for foiled crossbow attack on Queen

A man who confessed to attempting to kill the late Queen Elizabeth II after being found on the grounds of Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow was on Thursday (5) given a nine-year sentence.

Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, will serve the first part of his term in the high-security Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, moving to prison when his mental health permits.


The former supermarket worker had "lost touch with reality so that he had become psychotic", said sentencing judge Nicholas Hilliard at London's Old Bailey court.

After breaking into the grounds of the queen's residence on Christmas Day 2021, Chail admitted to an armed officer at the scene that he was there "to kill the queen".

In a journal, he wrote that if he could not get the monarch, he would "go for" the "prince" as a "suitable figurehead", in an apparent reference to her son, the current King Charles III.

Chail pleaded guilty to three charges at a previous hearing, becoming the first person to admit treason in the UK in decades.

In the last such case, Briton Marcus Sarjeant was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in 1981 after pleading guilty to firing blank shots at the queen when she was participating in a horseback parade in central London.

Chail, who appeared at court on Thursday wearing black combat trousers and a black shirt, also admitted to making threats to kill and possessing an offensive weapon.

- Chatbot relationship –

Judge Hilliard said on sentencing that Chail had also been "informed by the fantasy world of Star Wars" and mounted the planned attack dressed as a Sith Lord, wearing an iron mask and carrying a loaded crossbow.

Chail also believed that he was communicating with an angel via an AI chatbot and planned the attack as revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre of Indians by British colonial troops, the judge added.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan previously said that "in addition to that fixation with a real historic event, the defendant demonstrated a wider ideology focused on destroying old empires spilling over into fictional events such as Star Wars".

After his arrest, it emerged that he had stated his intent in a video recorded four days earlier, which he sent to his phone contacts list about 10 minutes before he was apprehended.

Queen Elizabeth passed away peacefully nearly nine months later, on September 8, aged 96, after a year of failing health.

Chail's incursion happened while the queen was spending Christmas Day at Windsor Castle with Charles and his wife Camilla.

The would-be assailant, dressed in black and wearing a hood, gloves and metal mask, had scaled the perimeter of the grounds with a nylon rope ladder.

He was in the grounds for around two hours before being detained without resistance.

The crossbow in his possession was loaded and ready to fire, with its safety catch in the "off" position, according to the prosecutors.

Chail had previously applied to join the Ministry of Defence Police and the Grenadier Guards, in a bid to get close to the royal family, the court previously heard.

In the video shared with his contacts on Snapchat prior to entering the castle grounds, Chail said he was "sorry for what I've done and what I will do".

"I will attempt to assassinate Elizabeth, Queen of the Royal Family," he stated, referencing the 1919 massacre in India.

The death toll from that massacre remains disputed but hundreds were killed when British troops opened fire on a packed crowd in Amritsar.

(AFP)

More For You

Police officers

Police officers stand guard between an anti fascist group and Tommy Robinson supporters during an anti-immigration rally organised by British anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, in London, Britain, September 13, 2025.

REUTERS/Jaimi Joy

UK defends France migrant returns deal after court blocks first removal

THE British government has defended its new migrant returns deal with France after a High Court ruling temporarily blocked the deportation of an Eritrean asylum seeker, marking an early legal setback to the scheme.

The 25-year-old man, who arrived in Britain on a small boat from France on August 12, was due to be placed on an Air France flight from Heathrow to Paris on Wednesday (17) morning. But on Tuesday (16), Judge Clive Sheldon granted an interim injunction, saying there was a “serious issue to be tried” over his claim to be a victim of trafficking.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian surgeon sentenced to six years for sexual assault

Dr Amal Bose. (Photo: Lancashire Police)

Asian surgeon sentenced to six years for sexual assault

AN ASIAN senior heart surgeon, who abused his position to sexually assault female members of staff, has been jailed for six years.

Dr Amal Bose, from Lancaster, was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault against five colleagues at Blackpool Victoria Hospital between 2017 and 2022. He was cleared of two other charges.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi & Trump

Donald Trump and Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House on February 13, 2025.

Reuters

Trump greets Modi on 75th birthday, trade talks continue in Delhi

Highlights:

  • Both leaders reaffirm commitment to India-US partnership
  • Trade talks resume in New Delhi amid tariff tensions
  • India defends purchase of discounted Russian oil

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Tuesday called Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and greeted him ahead of his 75th birthday. The phone call sparked hopes of a reset in India-US ties, which had been under strain after Washington doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Forecasters say 30–40mm of rain is likely to fall widely

iStock

Met Office issues yellow weather warnings as heavy rain threatens flooding in 15 UK areas

Highlights:

  • Two yellow weather warnings issued for parts of Wales and the Midlands
  • Up to 70mm of rain expected, bringing risk of flooding, power cuts and travel delays
  • Flood alerts in place for rivers in Cumbria, Devon, Cornwall and Carmarthenshire
  • Residents advised to prepare emergency kits and stay updated with forecasts

Heavy rainfall set to cause disruption

The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings covering parts of Wales and the Midlands today, with forecasters warning of potential flooding, travel disruption and power cuts. Between 6am and 11am, persistent downpours are expected to sweep eastwards, bringing nearly a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours.

Areas under warning

South and southwest Wales are expected to be worst affected, with Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd and Powys in the Midlands also on alert. In Wales, warnings apply to Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Donald Trump and Melania Trump

Donald Trump and Melania Trump exit Air Force One after arriving at London Stansted Airport for a state visit on September 16, 2025 in Stansted, Essex.

Getty Images

UK rolls out royal welcome as Trump begins second state visit

Highlights:

  • Trump begins his second state visit to the UK with a royal welcome at Windsor Castle
  • Prince William, Catherine, King Charles and Queen Camilla take part in ceremony
  • State banquet and trade talks with prime minister Keir Starmer scheduled
  • Protests and security operation mark visit amid political challenges

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump began his unprecedented second state visit to Britain on Wednesday with a lavish welcome from King Charles and the royal family at Windsor Castle.

Keep ReadingShow less