Another palace intruder

2004-09-24 12:58

London - A journalist posing as a workman managed to breach security at Queen Elizabeth's official residence in Scotland, less than two weeks after an intruder climbed onto Buckingham Palace in London, police said on Friday.

The man managed to bypass security at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and get within yards of the Royal Apartments on Thursday, before he was caught by security, Scottish police said.

But the intruder managed to break free and escape, the police said. Police were alerted and a search launched, but he was not caught.

Detectives had been trying to establish who the man was and why he was in a private area of the palace, but it turned out he was a journalist, police said.

The Sky News television channel said the journalist worked for the Sunday Times.

The incident occurred just 72 hours before the Prince of Wales is due to visit the palace, while Queen Elizabeth II was also due to stay at Holyrood in two weeks, during a visit to officially open the new Scottish Parliament building.

The security breach came less than two weeks after a fathers' rights protester dressed as Batman scaled the walls of Buckingham Palace, the queen's official residence in London.

Fathers 4 Justice campaigner Jason Hatch, 33, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, entered the grounds of the Palace on September 13, climbing a wall before staging a protest of several hours on a balcony.

There have also been a series of recent security scares at official buildings across the country, including the new Scottish Parliament.

Earlier this month, journalists from the Scotsman and Sun newspapers breached security at the Holyrood Parliament, one claiming to have been on the roof of the building, another getting to within yards of First Minister Jack McConnell.

Another Sun journalist was able to smuggle fake bomb-making equipment into the House of Commons after using bogus references to get a job there.

That breach came just days after protesters stormed the Commons chamber as MPs debated plans to ban hunting.

- AFP