Johnny Scott, 26, caused nearly £25,000 of damage to the south centre gate of Buckingham Palace in March last year when he drove his CW Polo into it, and has appeared in court
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The dramatic moment police arrest motorist after crashing into Buckingham Palace
A man who ram raided the gates of Buckingham Palace was “very lucky” he was not shot by security that night, a court heard
Johnny Scott, 26, drove his VW Polo into the south centre gate of the royal residence on March 9 last year, causing £24,493 in damage. Scott was approached by armed officers who arrested him at the scene immediately after the incident and later told police: “I have to fix this and these c****.”
Aamina Khalid, defending, told Westminster Magistrates’ Court Scott had a “psychotic episode” and suffered a relapse of bipolar disorder when the incident occurred. She added he was “not able to understand what his actions were” as a result and he had not been under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the incident.
She told the court Scott expressed “a deep remorse” for what happened and the incident was “completely out of character”. No members of the Royal Family were at the palace when the collision happened, a spokesman said at the time. The vehicle he was driving was subsequently destroyed, the court heard today.
Scott pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal damage over £5,000 on January 16. The defendant appeared in court wearing a blue suit and tie and spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.
District judge Neeta Minhas handed Scott a 12-month community order and imposed an exclusion on entering the SW1 1AA postcode. He was also ordered to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work within the next year, and to pay £5,000 in compensation over a period of two years.
She said: “You have caused a very high level of damage to a structure that is of huge cultural importance in the United Kingdom. You are very lucky you didn’t get yourself shot that day.”
