People and royalty
The man who was arrested in Westminster Hall after trying to approach the coffin ofElizabeth He, exposed so that the British can pay their last respects, wanted to verify that she was indeed dead, said the judge before whom he appeared on Tuesday.
On Friday, Muhammad Khan, 28, had made the long queue that snaked through London to approach the remains of the sovereign who died on September 8 at the age of 96. Once he had entered the hall of Westminster, where she lay, he had left the carpet in the direction of the catafalque and had seized with both hands a cloth which draped the coffin.
Ready to force entry into royal residences
Quickly arrested by the police, he appeared in Westminster Court on Tuesday on two counts of disturbing public order. The accused ” suffers from delusions and thinks the Queen is not dead”said Judge Michael Snow, “ he thinks King Charles had something to do with it and that he might go to Windsor Castle to pay his respects to her, but also because he still thinks she’s alive. »
The judge did not question Muhammad Khan, whom doctors deemed unfit to take part in the proceedings. He just confirmed his name, date of birth, address and intervened once.
« The defendant claimed that the queen was not dead and that he approached the coffin because he wanted to check for himself., detailed the prosecutor Luke Staton. Muhammad Khan has been released on bail on condition that he remain in a mental hospital in east London, until his next appearance in the same court on October 18.
With Belgium