Man charged with trespassing on Kensington Palace grounds
The man was apprehended by security wearing a 'heavy rucksack' after being spotted in the grounds of the palace
A man twice got into the grounds of Kensington Palace in the days before Christmas, police have said.
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Derek Egan, 39, has been charged with allegedly trespassing on a protected site on December 21 and December 23, the Metropolitan Police said.
Egan, of Hillingdon, has also been charged with breaching his bail conditions.
“Egan was arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site in Palace Green, Kensington,” a police spokesperson said.
The west London palace is sometimes home to the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children.
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It is a criminal offence to trespass on a protected site designated under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (Socpa) 2005.
A new exclusion zone recently came into force around the Wales’s new family home in Windsor Great Park, Forest Lodge.
They also have a 10-bedroom mansion, Anmer Hall, on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The family were not at the residence at the time of the break-in, according to reports, with them instead staying at Anmer Hall, their private country home, located on the Sandringham estate.
Mr Egan was due to appear in court on Christmas eve, amid reports in the Mail Online that suggesting he refused to leave his prison van to appear in the dock.
He was remanded in custody, with the Met Police later confirming that he appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
He was once again remanded in custody to appear at the same court on January 6.
District Judge Sam Goozee said: "I am going to proceed in a hearing in his absence on January 6 in view of his disorderly behaviour to officers of the court and the court itself.
"I am not granting him bail.
"The Attorney General needs to consider any further security risks before granting consent to prosecute."
The Crown Prosecution Service said: "The charges need the Attorney General's consent because of national security concerns, but in this case security concerns against the Royal Family.
"The Attorney General needs to consider any further security risks before granting consent to prosecute."