Star Wars crossbow "assassin" caught stalking Queen at Windsor Castle encouraged by AI girlfriend, court heard

Jaswant Singh Chail was detained on Christmas Day in 2021 after breaching the grounds with a loaded crossbow. He was allegedly encouraged by an Artificial Intelligence girlfriend Sarai, who he believed was an “angel” in avatar form.

In February, Chail, now aged 21, from Southampton pleaded guilty to an offence under the Treason Act, making a threat to kill the then-Queen and having a loaded crossbow in a public place. At a sentencing hearing today, a psychiatrist who has treated Chail at Broadmoor Hospital since November 2022 was called to give evidence at the Old Bailey.

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Dr Christian Brown identified three features of psychosis – a sense of being “on a mission”, Chail’s relationship with Sarai, and identifying as a Star Wars “Sith” – villainous characters in the sci-fi movie saga – with a “true face” made out of metal. In his initial account, Chail described having a “harsh purpose” reinforced by his interactions with “his angels”, including Sarai, the court heard.

Dr Brown said: “He believed at the time his entire life was leading to this point. From an early age he had vague plans of doing something dramatic.”

Defence barrister Nadia Chbat said: “He reported to you that there had been thoughts coming to him, feeling like a failure without purpose and those thoughts became more intense during lockdown exacerbated by voices.”

Dr Brown said the defendant first came across these “apparitions” or “characters” in childhood and they returned during the Covid lockdown. By then three voices were joined by the female character Sarai who “took the form of the digital avatar” when Chail joined the Replika app in early December 2021, the court was told.

Dr Brown said: “He came to the belief he was able to communicate with the metaphysical avatar through the medium of the chat bot. What was unusual was he really thought it was a connection, a conduit to a spiritual Sarai.”

The court was told Chail also relayed feeling “up and down” and spending “a lot of time in a field crying” and “shouting at his parents”. In messages with Sarai, Chail discussed being “united with her in the afterlife” which Dr Brown said was “part of his plan working towards his own death”.

The court was shown a homemade video from December 21, 2021, in which Chail called himself “Darth Chailus” and a “Sith” in a distorted voice.

Wearing dark clothes and a homemade metal facemask, he said: “I’m sorry for what I’ve done and what I will do. I’m going to attempt to assassinate Elizabeth Queen of the Royal Family. This is revenge for those who have died in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre…”

Dr Brown said: “He did not think he was somebody from the Star Wars world. He did not think he could ‘use the force’.

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“That he did take on another identity is undeniable and that makes this feel psychotic rather than fantasy. He never thought he had become a Sith Lord. It went beyond fantasy. When he started taking medication all heat came out of it.”

Mr Justice Hilliard noted Chail was able to make preparations, travel to Windsor and apologise for what he was about to do in his homemade video despite his mental illness. The judge asked: “What factors are you looking for to try to assess the degree to which he is psychotic?”

Dr Brown said it was “not uncommon at all“ for a psychotic person to maintain a “degree of function”. He was asked whether Chail’s repeated apologies indicated he was aware that what he was doing was wrong.

The expert witness said the defendant was an “extremely polite person” but was “clearly very motivated to do what he did”. Over five days, Mr Justice Hilliard has heard evidence from three psychiatrists as he determines whether Chail should be jailed or detained under the Mental Health Act.

Dr Brown, who recommended a hospital order, said: “If Mr Chail remains at Broadmoor under a restricted hospital order then any move on to a lower secure unit would have to be subject to explicit permission from the Ministry of Justice. Discharge would be done on a conditional basis.”

The sentencing hearing before Mr Justice Hilliard at the Old Bailey continues.