An intruder trapped on the grounds of Buckingham Palace twice in four days had tried to break in a month earlier, a court has heard.
Staff found Daniel Brydges in the grounds of the royal residence in London on December 18 and 22 last year, but on Wednesday (10.12.22) they told Westminster Magistrates Court that he had also traveled from his home in Portsmouth and tried to enter. the palace on November 15 but he was not charged.
The 33-year-old admitted to two counts of trespassing and damaging the barbed wire fence “belonging to the Queen’s property”.
Buckingham Palace police were first told there was an “unknown man on the property” at 5:43 p.m. on December 18 and Brydges was found hiding in bushes on West Terrace, although prosecutor Sudara Weerasena said “it was not known how long he had been there.” before the staff saw it.”
She added: “He had jumped over the Royal Mews fence, then scaled another fence that bordered the gardens.
“In doing so, he caused criminal damage to the barbed wire fence. He was then detained and arrested before being taken to the police station.”
The man was interviewed on December 19 and stated that he was homeless and looking for a place to sleep, but was unaware that he was trespassing on the palace grounds.
However, three days later, he was seen scaling the front gate.
The prosecutor said: “He crouches behind a Land Rover and is seen looking around. He is then challenged again by a staff member, before running off. He is then chased by palace officials and arrested again.”
Brydges claimed that he had returned to the palace to collect a bottle he had left behind the last time he was there, but he was also identified trying to enter the residence grounds through a loading dock a month earlier.
Sudara said: “Staff challenged him and told them he was homeless and had traveled here from Hampshire.”
Furthermore, he had been identified as a “suspicious man” on the steps of Thames House in Millbank on December 11, with the prosecutor saying he was “challenged by staff – he told them again he was homeless and looking for a place to stay”. . .
Although he was not charged for the two previous trespassing incidents, the prosecutor argued: “Firstly, I draw attention to the fact that he committed his second offense while on bail, and it is crucial to include every time he travels to London for sin. .”
District Judge Annabelle Pilling released him on bail and ordered briefings before his sentencing hearing.
She told him, “You have now pleaded guilty to these three crimes. They are serious, they are more serious in his case, since he committed a crime while he was on bail.
“I need to know more about whether he will commit more crimes in the future. I need to know if you are someone who ignores the rules of the police or the court.
“I am granting you bail on the same conditions as before: you must not enter a palace or royal residence.”
