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posted by Fnord666 on Monday March 05 2018, @02:54PM   Printer-friendly
from the near-miss dept.

A Teen Tried To Shoot Queen Elizabeth In 1981, Intelligence Report Says

New Zealand police say they are re-examining an apparent assassination attempt against Queen Elizabeth II. Declassified documents from New Zealand's intelligence service, newly released to an investigative journalist at the news website Stuff, indicate that there may have been a cover-up after teenager Christopher Lewis fired at the queen's motorcade in Dunedin. At the time, officials suggested to journalists that the bang of Lewis' gun was a sign falling over or firecrackers going off.

"Lewis did indeed originally intend to assassinate the queen, however did not have a suitable vantage point from which to fire, nor a sufficiently high-powered rifle for the range from the target," one declassified memo states.

[...] The 17-year-old was never charged with attempted murder or with treason, according to the news investigation.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by vux984 on Monday March 05 2018, @06:08PM (3 children)

    by vux984 (5045) on Monday March 05 2018, @06:08PM (#648075)

    "According to another article [metro.co.uk] on the case, that included sending him away on all-expense-paid vacations (taxpayer expense) "

    A couple grand for a 'vacation'; vs assigning a security detail to keep a close eye on him. A bit ass-backwards for justice, but probably quite a pragmatic and economically efficient solution.

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  • (Score: 2) by requerdanos on Monday March 05 2018, @07:23PM (2 children)

    by requerdanos (5997) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 05 2018, @07:23PM (#648102) Journal

    A couple grand for a 'vacation'; vs assigning a security detail to keep a close eye on him. A bit ass-backwards for justice, but probably quite a pragmatic and economically efficient solution.

    One might hope that with the Queen's life hanging in the balance there was a security detail involved and not simply a travel agent.

    • (Score: 2) by vux984 on Monday March 05 2018, @08:23PM (1 child)

      by vux984 (5045) on Monday March 05 2018, @08:23PM (#648147)

      As long as they make sure he gets on the plane, and gets to his destination. They don't need round the clock surveillance, in 3 shifts, if he's on an island a thousand miles away from the action. Its not like he's a crafy super-criminal; he's an incompetent nutter. Get him far enough away and just keep tabs on him.

      • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday March 06 2018, @02:30AM

        by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Tuesday March 06 2018, @02:30AM (#648319)

        They sent him to Great Barrier Island. [wikipedia.org]

        It's in the Hauraki Gulf, so not far from the largest New Zealand city, Auckland. Too far to swim however, and if the police decided you should have a nice holiday, you would probably be stuck there until they came and got you.