What the Hell is Going on in the UK?

[DanaC]

The video of that incident is interesting. I can't find a clip on youtube, but it was shown on a recent BBC doc. She barely reacts - some of the horses were spooked, including hers, and there were security people converging on the shooter, but she gets her horse under control almost immediately and then continues. It's pretty impressive given they didn't know it was a blank-firing gun until later.



From wiki:

On 13 June 1981, Sarjeant joined the crowds for Trooping the Colour, finding a spot near the junction between The Mall and Horseguards Avenue. When the Queen came past riding her 19-year-old horse Burmese, Sarjeant quickly fired six blanks from his starting revolver. The horse was momentarily startled but the Queen brought her under control; she was unharmed. Lance Corporal Galloway (Scots Guards), Lance Corporal McNeill (Scots Guards), Sergeant John Woodcock (Metropolitan Police Service) and John Heasman (St. John Ambulance) quickly reacted and subdued Sarjeant, who told them "I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be a somebody".[2][4]

The attack happened fifteen minutes after the Queen's departure from Buckingham Palace. Immediately the Sovereign's Escort was ordered by the Gold Stick-in-Waiting to "close up" around Her Majesty. The Queen regained control of her mount, and continued to Horse Guards Parade.

Sarjeant became the first person since 1966 to be prosecuted under the Treason Act 1842,[6] and was brought to trial before the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Lane, on 14 September 1981. He was charged with an offence under Section Two of the Treason Act in that he "wilfully discharged at or near Her Majesty the Queen a gun with the intent to alarm or distress Her Majesty."[7] Sarjeant pleaded guilty, and Lord Lane, sentencing him to five years' imprisonment, said that "the public sense of outrage must be marked. You must be punished for the wicked thing you did".[8] Sarjeant appealed against the length of the sentence but the appeal was refused.[9]

He was released after three years.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Sarjeant






[eta] I am a bit bemused as to why it was relevant to this thread though?