A man with a “fixation” on accessing royal grounds has admitted trespassing at Buckingham Palace.

Daniel George Robert Brydges, 33, admitted trying to gain entry to the Palace on 18 and 22 December last year, and a further charge of criminal damage on 18 December.

The Queen was at Windsor Castle on both occasions.

Brydges appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, and attempted to hide his face behind a folder as he left the court.

Prosecuting, Sudara Weerasena said Brydges scaled two fences in Buckingham Palace grounds just after 5pm on 18 December.

She said he climbed over The Royal Mews fence on Buckingham Palace Road and then scaled a second fence, where he caused criminal damage to the barbed wire.

Ms Weerasena said security officers spotted him on CCTV and he was arrested. During a police interview about the incident, Brydges told officers he was homeless and looking for somewhere to sleep, she said.

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He was bailed on 19 December on the condition that he did not attempt to enter any royal residences.

However, Ms Weerasena said three days later, on 22 December at 1.06pm, Brydges again scaled The Royal Mews fence, and “stooped behind a Land Rover” before being challenged by a security officer.

“At this point he climbs back over the fence and tries to run away,” she said.

Ms Weerasena said Brydges was chased and later “claimed he had gone in there to collect a bottle of water which he had dropped”. She added that the second offence was committed while he was on bail and he was given clear conditions not to enter that area.

Brydges had also tried to gain entry to the Queen’s home on two previous occasions, in 2021, and that each time he travelled to London from Portsmouth for this purpose, according to Ms Weerasena.

Judge Annabel Pilling said Brydges had a “fixation” on gaining entry to Palace grounds and described his offences as “serious”. She told Brydges that this is a “particularly rare offence” and “a particularly serious one”.

She added: “All the sentencing options will be open to the court.”

Defending, Rajesh Bhamm said Brydges had been suffering a “psychotic episode” at the time of the offences, and advised the judge that the maximum possible jail term would be 51 weeks.

Brydges, of Laburnum Grove, Portsmouth, was bailed until his sentencing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 9 November.

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