The man who was arrested in Westminster Hall after trying to approach the coffin of Elizabeth II, exposed so that the British could pay their last respects, wanted to verify that she was indeed dead, said the judge before whom he appeared on Tuesday, September 20.
On Friday, Muhammad Khan, 28, had made the long queue that snaked through London to approach the remains of the sovereign who died on September 8 at the age of 96.
Once he had entered the hall of Westminster, where she lay, he had left the carpet in the direction of the catafalque and had seized with both hands a cloth which draped the coffin.
Read alsoUp to 24 hours to wait to pay tribute to Elizabeth II
Quickly arrested by the police, he appeared in Westminster Court on Tuesday on two counts of disturbing public order.
The defendant "
suffers from delirium and thinks the Queen is not dead
", said Judge Michael Snow, "
he thinks King Charles has something to do with it and that he could go to Windsor Castle to pay homage to her, but also because he still thinks she's alive.
The judge did not question Muhammad Khan, whom doctors deemed unfit to take part in the proceedings.
He just confirmed his name, date of birth, address and intervened once.
"
The defendant claimed that the queen was not dead and that he approached the coffin because he wanted to check for himself
, ”detailed prosecutor Luke Staton.
“
He said he intended to go to the funeral
,” he added, that he “
had planned to write to the royal family and, if they did not answer, to go to the Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Balmoral to try to talk to the Queen
”.
"
I would have to break in to try to establish contact
," Muhammad Khan himself told the court, adding that he would have tried "
as long as
he was alive."
Muhammad Khan has been released on bail on condition that he remain in a mental hospital in east London until his next appearance in the same court on October 18.
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