A protestor who threw eggs at King Charles III has been found guilty of threatening behaviour – but won't be going to prison.
He threw “at least” five eggs at the Monarch and accused him of being friends with known paedophile Jimmy Saville.
Patrick Thelwell, 23, was spared jail time for the act but will have to complete 100 hours of community service work.
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The former University of York student threw eggs towards the King and Queen consort Camilla in November during a visit from the pair to the historic city of York.
Thelwell, who used to work as a gardener, was arrested in that same crowd.
At his sentencing at York Magistrates Court five months later, when asked what the chances were of him getting a job in the next six weeks, Thelwell replied: “I don't know. Do you need any gardening work done?”
The eggs hurled at the King narrowly missed, passing over the sovereign, the prosecution’s Michael Smith said.
He also added quotations shouted by Thelwell as he threw the eggs.
Smith said he shouted: “paedophile”, “King Charles is a paedophile” and “friends with Jimmy Savile”.
Thelwell is understood to have let out a sigh of relief when he was told he would not be sent down.
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Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring told the court how people could have been hurt by the lobbed eggs.
Announcing the guilty verdict he said: “I will put your mind at rest. I am not going to send you to prison.”
It was found by the court that Thelwell has “pre-targeted the King on the day” and with his actions had “intended his behaviour to be threatening”.
It was stressed to Thelwell the separation of the crown and justice system.
Judge Goldspring continued: “The monarch is left with an entirely symbolic role in the justice system. He is not involved in the actual administration of justice. He was not called or required as a witness.
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“The defendant had sought to characterise the throwing of eggs as non-violent. His conduct has gone beyond what would be seen as reasonable. He accepts it was low-level violence.
“The facts of the case are not in dispute. The Crown's case is it is entirely clear that motivated by hostility towards the monarchy he threw eggs at King Charles.
“The defendant's evidence in chief is largely irrelevant. He accepted he threw five eggs and they came very close to hitting King Charles, and an egg was recovered from him while he was being restrained shouting 'He is not my king. This is fascist country'."
The former student, described by some outlets as “debt-ridden” was slapped with £714 in legal bills and asked the judge if he needed gardening work done to help him earn a few quid.
Thelwell claimed that “because I thought I was going to prison” he had left his studies and accrued £10k in unpaid rent.
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