Man charged with trespassing after 'climbing wall' near Buckingham Palace

18 September 2023 , 05:57

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The man has been charged with trespassing (Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

A man allegedly found climbing a wall and entering the Royal Mews over the weekend has been charged with trespassing, the Met Police has announced.

The charge relates to an incident at 1.25am on Saturday, when officers at Buckingham Palace responded to a person climbing the wall and entering the Royal Mews. Awad Rovalino, 25, of no fixed abode, has also been charged with attempted theft from a motor vehicle during the same incident.

He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court today. In a statement released on Saturday, The Met said: "A man has been arrested in the Royal Mews area adjacent to Buckingham Palace.

"At 01:25hrs on Saturday, 16 September, officers at Buckingham Palace responded to a person climbing the wall and entering the Royal Mews. Following a search, a 25-year-old man was detained by officers outside the stables in the Royal Mews.

"At no point did the man enter Buckingham Palace or the Palace Gardens. The man has been arrested under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act for trespassing on a protected site. He has been taken into custody at a London police station where he remains."

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The Royal Mews is part of the Buckingham Palace estate, and houses the royal family's horses. In a separate case in 2021, a 44-year-old man admitted to trespassing on a protected site, possession of a bladed article and possession of a wrap of cocaine after scaling the fence to the Royal Mews.

And earlier that same year, a knifeman managed to enter Buckingham Palace by simply walking through a gate as a vehicle was going in. Chorrie Thompson, 46, admitted gaining entry to the rear of the royal residence armed with a Stanley knife at around 11.25am on April 15, 2021.

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