Royal intruder Andrew Parrott avoids a bit of bird
An intruder who yelled ‘I am the King’ when caught roaming in the grounds of St James’s Palace has walked free from court.
Andrew Parrott, 57, was handed a 12 month suspended sentence at Westminster Magistrates Court after he was arrested for trespassing on the royal residence on 21 June last year.
St James’s is the London residence of royals including Princess Beatrice and Princess Alexandra. It is a designated protected site where trespassing is a criminal offence.
Prosecutor Thomas Heslop said: ‘Mr Parrott was seen on CCTV in the palace grounds.
‘He was questioned by police and responded that he was ‘the King’.’
Parrott, of Luton, Beds, earlier admitted trespass on a protected site.
He appeared in the dock today dressed in black and represented himself, claiming he was not able to apply for legal aid in time.
Parrott explained he was ‘confused’ and ‘unaware of his actions’ when asked why he claimed to be the monarch.
Passing sentence, District Judge Sam Goozee said: ‘You need to understand trespassing on this site is a very serious offence.
‘Protected sites are there to protect our national security, the government, and in this case, the royal family.’
He also pressed Parrott on three occasions as to why he wanted to access the royal grounds.
Parrott said he became interested as he used to live in ‘a property of significant heritage’ and had previously ‘knocked on the door of the palace’.
Judge Goozee asked: ‘But why would you want to go and knock on the doors of a royal palace?’
Parrott replied: ‘Curiosity.’
He insisted there was ‘no criminal intent’ and explained it was a ‘one-off incident’.
But the judge told Parrott: ‘It was criminal, your intention to find a door, meaning you were trying to gain access.’
He said it was troubling that Parrott had given no other explanation for his actions than curiosity.
The judge noted Parrott was no longer homeless and handed him a 12 month sentence suspended for 12 months.
Parrott was also handed an £85 fine.
He thanked the court and said: ‘Had this gone a different way, I would have wanted legal representation.’
Judge Goozee added: ‘Mr Parrott, I think you have done well representing yourself.’
The court was told he has three previous convictions including two counts of breaching a restraining order in 2023 and one count of harassment in 2022.
