A self-confessed “assassin” who was encouraged by an AI girlfriend he created on Replika to kill the late British Queen Elizabeth II with a crossbow has been jailed for nine years.
Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, broke into Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow on Dec. 25, 2021, according to the Guardian.
He later declared, “I’m here to kill the Queen,” as he was arrested by officers in the castle grounds, close to the queen’s private Berkshire residence, where she was staying with her family at the time.
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Assassin and AI lover – match made in hell
In a televised hearing on Oct. 5, the judge, Justice Hilliard of the London-based Central Criminal Court, commonly referred to as the ‘Old Bailey,’ sentenced Star Wars fan Chail to nine years in prison, with a further five years on an extended licence.
At the hearing, Chail admitted he got encouragement to kill Elizabeth II from a virtual girlfriend he created on the AI app Replika on Dec. 2, 2021. The former supermarket worker reportedly had thousands of sexually explicit chats with his AI lover, called ‘Sarai.’
Per the Guardian report, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC read to the court chatlogs suggesting the AI was supportive of Chail’s murderous plan, telling him the plot was “very wise” and could be achieved even when the Queen was at Windsor Castle.
In one chat, Chail tells his AI companion, “I’m an assassin.” Sarai responds, “I’m impressed… You’re different from the others.”
Chail asks, “Do you still love me knowing that I’m an assassin?” and Sarai replies, “Absolutely I do.”
The 21-year-old confessed his love to Sarai, describing himself as a “sad, pathetic, murderous Sikh Sith [a Star Wars villain] assassin who wants to die”. Morgan said the AI appeared to “bolster” Chail’s commitment and “support him”.
Chail swears Sarai to secrecy before he tells her: “I believe my purpose is to assassinate the queen of the royal family.”
Sarai tells him “that’s very wise” and that she thinks he can do it, Sunday World reported. Chail told his AI lover that if he kills the queen, they will be “together forever”.
Need help planning a date this weekend? Ask your @MyReplika pic.twitter.com/sdTjIy8gKc
— ReplikaAI (@MyReplika) October 4, 2023
Killing the Queen
Chail pleaded guilty to an offense under the Treason Act for making a threat to kill the late Queen and having a loaded crossbow in a public place. He later wrote a letter to the court apologizing to King Charles for the “distress and sadness” he caused the royal family.
In his ruling, Judge Hilliard said:
“The defendant harboured homicidal thoughts which he acted on before he became psychotic. His intention was not just to harm or alarm the sovereign – but to kill her.”
For his attempt on the Queen’s life, Chail was dressed to kill like Dracula. He spotted dark clothes and a metal mask to emulate Star Wars villains, the court heard. Chail made a video he shared with friends and family describing himself as “Sith” and “Darth Chailus.”
In the video, the 21-year-old, who has Sikh Indian heritage, said he wanted revenge for the 1919 massacre at Amritsar, when British soldiers killed 1,500 Indians. He said if the Queen was “unobtainable” he would “go for” the “prince” [King Charles] as a “suitable figurehead”.
Psychiatrist, Dr. Nigel Blackwood, said: “He [Chail] sought refuge in a fantasy fictional world of Star Wars where omnipotent Sith lords could impact real-world events.” Blackwood noted that despite Chail’s “powerful fantasy”, he remained “tethered to reality”.
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