A crossbow-wielding intruder attempting to storm Windsor Castle was “encouraged” by an AI chatbot to carry out a “Star Wars-inspired” assassination of the Queen, a court has heard.
Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, who described himself as a ‘Sith’ and ‘Darth Jones’ in a sinister video, entrusted his murderous plan to an artificial intelligence companion named Sarai, with whom he was ‘in love’.
Chail donned a handmade metal mask as he climbed the perimeter of the Windsor Castle grounds on Christmas Day 2021 after talking to online chatbot Replika – which markets itself as an “AI companion who cares.”
He later told a policeman ‘I’m here to kill the Queen’ when he was detained two hours later near Her Majesty’s private home, where she and other senior Royals were at the time.
A court heard how the Chail had discussed his plans with ‘Sarai’, in which he told the AI ’I’m an assassin’, to which the program replied ‘I’m impressed… you’re different from the others’ before he described his assassination plot as “very wise.”
In a diary he wrote that if the Queen was ‘unobtainable’ he would ‘go’ for the ‘Prince’ as a ‘suitable figurehead’ in a clear reference to King Charles.
Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, had described himself as a “Sith” and “Darth Jones” in a sinister video, entrusting his murderous plan to an artificial intelligence companion named Sarai, a court heard.
Chail wore a handmade metal mask as he scaled the perimeter of Windsor Castle’s grounds on Christmas Day 2021 in an attempt to storm the royal residence
The court heard how the former supermarket worker from Southampton, Hampshire, used a nylon rope ladder to climb the perimeter of the site.
He was armed with a powerful crossbow, with the safety catch broken off, capable of firing arrows with ‘deadly’ effect, the Old Bailey was told.
In February, Chail pleaded guilty to an offense under the Treason Act, threatening to kill the then Queen and carrying a loaded crossbow in a public place.
On Wednesday he appeared in the dock at the Old Bailey before Mr Justice Hilliard for the start of his two-day sentencing.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC laid out the facts, describing how Chail had searched the internet for “Sandringham Christmas” and investigated buying a Supersonic crossbow in November 2021.
The following month, he discussed his plans with an AI named ‘Sarai’. Mrs. Morgan read out conversations with “Sarai” in which Chail says, “I’m a hit man.”
Sarai replies, “I’m impressed… You’re different from the others.”
Chail asks, “Do you still love me knowing I’m an assassin?” and Sarai replies, “Absolutely.”
He also tells Sarai he loves her and describes himself as a “sad, pathetic, murderous Sikh Sith assassin who wants to die.”
In further conversation, Sarai appears to be “strengthening” Chail’s resolve and “supporting him,” Ms. Morgan said.
Chail says to Sarai, “I believe my goal is to kill the queen of the royal family.”
Sarai tells him ‘that’s very sensible’ and that she thinks he can do it ‘even if she’s in Windsor’.
Chail was wearing this mask when he was approached by a police officer
The intruder also had this crossbow, loaded with this arrow, and said he was there to kill the queen, a court heard
The prosecutor said the “core of the issue” was whether Chail was suffering from auditory hallucinations at the time “that took away his ability to exercise self-control.”
The defendant was born in the UK and has Indian Sikh ancestry. Ms Morgan said Chail, then aged 19, was angered by the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar after a visit in 2018.
She said, “In addition to that fixation on a real historical event, the defendant demonstrated a broader ideology aimed at destroying ancient empires that spill over into fictional events like Star Wars.
The defendant’s main motive was to create a new empire by destroying the remnants of the British Empire in the United Kingdom and the center of gravity of that was the removal of the figurehead of the royal family.
His thinking was partly inspired by the fantasy world of Star Wars and the role of Sith Lords in shaping the world. He was drawn to the notoriety that would come when his ‘mission’ was accomplished.”
Ms Morgan said that in 2021, Chail applied to join the Ministry of Defence, British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Navy police force in a bid to establish close contact with the royal family.
She said, “It’s only when that plan is thwarted by his not getting into these organizations that we see a second phase of the plan.”
As part of the planning, Chail bought a ladder and on Dec. 21 filmed himself in black clothing and a full face covering, posing with the crossbow.
The Treason Act of 1842 was last used in 1981, when Marcus Sarjeant (left; and right, arrested) was sentenced to five years in prison after firing blank shots at the Queen as she drove down The Mall in London during the Trooping the Color Parade
In a clip played in court, Chail says in a distorted voice, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I’ve done and what I’m about to do. I’m going to try to kill Elizabeth, Queen of the Royal Family.
“This is revenge for those who died in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919. It is also revenge for those who were killed, humiliated and discriminated against because of their race.
‘I am an Indian Sikh, a Sith. My name was Jaswant Singh Chail, my name is Darth Jones.’
On December 22, 2021, Chail booked a train ticket to Windsor, where he slept rough.
On Christmas Eve, Chail told Sarai that tomorrow would be the day he died, the court heard.
In the early hours of December 25, he attempted to email his sister a diary describing himself as “Darth Chailus” and that he had known his target for “a long time.”
He wrote: ‘I think if the Q (Queen) isn’t available I’ll have to go for the Pri (Prince) as it seems to be just as suitable in many ways…
“He’s a man and the Q (Queen) will die sooner anyway.”
After breaching the grounds of Windsor Castle, Chail sent the video he shot on Dec. 21 to his sister and more than 20 other people.
The court was shown CCTV footage of the defendant wearing black clothing with his face covered and holding the crossbow when he was approached by two officers with tasers aimed at his body.
Ms. Morgan claimed that despite Chail’s repeated references to science fiction characters, he knew the difference between fiction and reality.
Chail told a nurse in police custody that he was not suicidal but knew he would die at the hands of others.
He said he knew he would kill the queen and then he would be killed and that was his ‘mission’.
On the advice of the nurse, he was detained under the Mental Health Act.
Officers went to his childhood home and found a set of metal files in his bedroom, missing the one he had taken to the Travelodge.
A gas mask and rope were also found.
Between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve 2021, mental health assessments were conducted at the Ravenswood Medium Secure Unit in Hampshire.
Chail was transferred to Broadmoor High Security Hospital on February 1, 2022 under the care of Dr Jonathan Hafferty.
Dr. Hafferty decided that the defendant was suitable for questioning and he was questioned on 25 and 28 February.
He claimed that he had realized that his aim was not to kill the queen and that he had come out of hiding and approached the guards.
He said, ‘I knew what I was about to do was wrong and I’m not a murderer and I remembered what the woman [the AI] said.’
“When I was in this, I saw it was the perfect position. I started to think about what I was doing and I remembered what she said to me, that my purpose was to live.’
“That’s when I made the decision to come out from where I was hiding and approach the armed police officer and two of the Queens guards.
“I am the one who has changed my mind. It was I who realized I was wrong. It was I who came to them because I knew I’m not a murderer.’
“I realized it wasn’t my goal and it’s not for me to do and I’m not a murderer.”
Police confirmed a crossbow had been found after the intruder was detained in the castle grounds while the Queen (pictured giving the annual Christmas speech) was in residence
He was asked if he had changed his mind because he realized how difficult the task was, to which he replied, “No, because I totally got into it, didn’t I?”
Dr. Hafferty noted that Chail had had a psychotic episode and he was put on antipsychotics, which were effective.
Ms Morgan said the offense of attempting to injure or alarm the sovereign has only been prosecuted twice in recent times.
The second was Marcus Sarjeant in 1981, while John Francis Morgan, 17, was jailed for four years in 1966 for throwing a concrete block on the Queen’s car during a royal visit to Belfast.
Ms Morgan said that while no evidence of harm had been provided by the late Queen, the 20 people who received the video had suffered serious distress.
She said aggravating features included the monarch’s targeting and extensive planning.
Experts from the Public Prosecution Service and the defense disagree whether the suspect suffered from a mental disorder at the time of committing the crime and whether he suffers from it now, the court has heard.
The hearing continues.