A TIPPERARY man has been banned from all pubs in the United Kingdom for a year after being found drunk in Windsor Castle, just yards from Queen’s Elizabeth’s private apartments.
Robert Pennefather, a 32-year-old truck driver from Cois Na hAbhainn, Mullinahone, was in court yesterday after being arrested by armed police on November 6th in the grounds of the castle after he had scaled an eight-foot gate.
Westminster magistrate Judge Howard Riddle said he was satisfied that Mr Pennefather, who came within 20 metres of the Queen’s private apartments, had posed no risk to anyone.
However, he handed down a 14-day jail sentence, suspended for a year, a £1,000 fine and banned him from going into any pub in the UK for a year.
“There was a significant breach of security. It must have caused very significant alarm and distress to those in the castle and those whose job it is to protect those who live in the castle”, the judge said.
“It was not only alarming, it of course caused a deployment of police officers to deal with you when they could have been used in another way,” he went on.
Mr Pennefather had been drinking with two colleagues for several hours before they got a taxi into Windsor and finished the night off in a number of nightclubs.
Police arrested him shortly before 4am staggering inside the castle’s grounds, although Mr Pennefather’s lawyer Ian Brownhill said it had been “a case of drunken folly”.
Mr Pennefather had thought that he was taking a shortcut back to his truck where he intended to sleep for the night, Mr Brownhill told the magistrate. “He’s asked me to put forward an apology, firstly to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and secondly to the royal protection unit,” Mr Brownhill said.
Prosecuting, Zoe Martin said police stopped Mr Pennefather as he headed towards the castle and demanded to see his security pass. “What pass?” he replied.
Asked if he was trespassing, Mr Pennefather, who pleaded guilty to the charge, agreed, saying: “Yes, I should not be here.”
During a search of his clothing, police found nothing to suggest that he was a risk and background checks raised no concern, the court was told.
Questioned the next morning, Mr Pennefather said he could not remember how he had got into the castle’s grounds, but thought that he was getting out when he was stopped by police.
He is not the first Irishman to find himself in court for entering royal properties. In 1982, Michael Fagan sat at the end of the Queen’s bed talking to her before police arrived.
