Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was chased after coming face-to-face with an alleged balaclava-clad stalker near his Sandringham home, a court has heard. The former Duke of York's witness statement was read out at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Confrontation on dog walk
Alex Jenkinson, 39, is charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour towards the King's brother in Norfolk on May 6. Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram read parts of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's statement, which is set to form the centrepiece of both the criminal case and a civil Stalking Protection Order application by Suffolk Police.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor said he was walking his dogs on the estate when he spotted a car he assumed belonged to press photographers. He and his security detail drove past the vehicle, and then a man "turned and faced me – he was wearing a balaclava face covering". The statement continued: "I then saw a loose dog running towards him. Then he realised who I was and began to sprint after my vehicle."
Jenkinson absent from hearing
Jenkinson was blocked from entering the court building because he arrived with his dog, Indie, and the hearing proceeded in his absence. His lawyer, Claire Howell, told the judge: "He has had to bring his dog with him, so he wasn't allowed inside the court. He is homeless and currently in accommodation in a Travelodge. He is not allowed to leave the dog there. It provides him with support, he suffers from ADHD."
Judge Ikram declined to allow the dog into the courtroom, saying: "I'm not prepared to have a dog in the courtroom simply because he is homeless and he happens to keep a dog. I'm not saying he is not telling the truth, but there's nothing to corroborate it." He added: "We accommodate people who have ADHD and have support animals. I would want something more than he is homeless and happens to have a dog."
Charges and bail conditions
Jenkinson is accused of causing the former Duke of York to "fear unlawful violence" during the confrontation in Wolferton, near his Marsh Farm property. He was detained under the Mental Health Act for about a month afterwards and pleaded guilty to failing to provide a blood specimen while in custody on May 6. He denies the public order offence against Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and has pleaded not guilty to a further charge involving another man, Stephen Terry, in King's Lynn on May 5.
Jenkinson is on bail with conditions not to approach several Royal Family-linked sites, including Sandringham, Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, Windsor and Highgrove, and not to contact Andrew or enter Norfolk.
Next hearings
Judge Ikram extended the interim Stalking Protection Order, set a pre-trial hearing at Loughborough Magistrates' Court for January 22, and scheduled the final hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court for February 16. Andrew is due to give evidence by video link at the criminal trial set for December 21. The judge ruled that Andrew, Mr Terry, and an eyewitness must give evidence again at the Stalking Protection Order hearing, saying: "I am persuaded that fairness demands the respondent to these proceedings (Jenkinson) be allowed to call and cross-examine these witnesses."
