Drunken Irishman banned from pub after scaling fence at Queen’s castle

Truck driver banned from UK pubs after tresspassing

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Court hears how Irish man scaled fence at Windsor Castle

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A Tipperary man has apologized to the Queen after he scaled a 8ft (2.4m) fence at Windsor castle and got within 65 feet  of her private apartment. The 32-year-old was intoxicated at the time and has been banned from all UK pubs for a year.

Robert Pennefather admitted to the trespassing offence at at Westminster Magistrates' Court. He received a suspended jail sentence, a £1,000 fine and is banned from entering any licensed premises for a year, the Irish Independent reports.

The truck driver was discovered by armed royal protection officers just feet from the Queen’s private residence after the alarm was raised at 3:34am on November 6 last year, the court heard.

According to the chief magistrate: "This was a very serious matter indeed as you must realise now that you are sober.

"There was a significant breach of security in a way that shows you were sufficiently competent to climb at least a 5ft barricade and it undoubtedly caused significant alarm and distress to those in the castle and those whose job it is to protect those in the castle.

"It was not only alarming but caused a significant deployment of police officers."

The court heard that Pennefather had been drinking since 9pm that evening before he scaled the fence of the oldest occupied castle in the world.

Prosecutor Zoe Martin told the court that the accused  was stopped by a police officer who discovered him staggering towards the castle.

When the royal officer asked to see his security pass he replied, “What pass?”

The officer asked if he was trespassing and he replied: "Yes I should not be here".

When he was interviewed the next morning, Pennefather admitted he had been out socializing with other lorry workers who had left him before he reached the castle.

Pennefather's defence lawyer, Ian Brownhill called it a "case of drunken folly".

Brownhill told the court: "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."
 

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