Student accused of egging King Charles ‘banned from Tinder’

A student accused of egging King Charles has complained that he has been banned from dating apps after being charged with threatening behavior. Patrick Thelwell (pictured left) says he has been blocked from both Tinder and Hinge – saying that ‘the state’ will ‘stop you getting laid’ if you do not ‘obey’. Student and campaigner Thelwell, 23, was held by police in November after he allegedly threw eggs at King Charles. All four eggs missed and the monarch walked away unscathed after the incident in York on November 9 last year. The activist claims he is facing a £5,000 ($6,100) fine and up to six months in prison, and was charged with threatening behavior in December.

He will appear at York Magistrates’ Court on January 20 charged with threatening behavior contrary to Section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986. On a Instagram story he wrote: ‘LOL I got banned from Tinder and Hinge because I’m accused of a threatening crime. Obey the state or they’ll stop you getting laid.’ After two alleged attempted eggings of the King over the course of two months last year, an urgent review was launched into his safety.

Mr Thelwell previously said that he may call the monarch to give live evidence at court in his defense. He said in December: ‘I am charged with section four of the public order act. ‘My plea hearing is on the 20th of January I will plead not guilty, of course. The charge relates to someone feeling fear of imminent physical violence. The question is did the King fear imminent violence? So I don’t know how to get an answer to that without getting a statement from him.’ Asked if he would also call the King to give live evidence, he replied: ‘These are questions for my solicitor I think. It should be fun.’ Hinge does not authorize people to create accounts if they have ‘committed, been convicted of or plead no contest to a felony… or any crime involving violence or threat of violence.’

North Yorkshire Police said at the time: ‘Yesterday, we arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of a public order offense during the Royal visit. The man has been interviewed and released on police bail. He was detained following an incident which occurred as King Charles III (pictured) and the Queen Consort arrived at Micklegate Bar in York yesterday.’ A University of York spokesperson said in November: ‘We are aware of eggs being thrown and are appalled by the images reported by the media today. As a community built on the values of respect and decency, the University condemns such behavior, and we will be reviewing the incident in line with our misconduct procedures.’

Nick Price, head of the CPS special crime and counter terrorism division, said in December: ‘The CPS has authorized North Yorkshire Police to charge Patrick Thelwell (pictured) with threatening behavior contrary to Section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986. This follows an investigation by police into an incident in which eggs were thrown at HM The King in York on November 9, 2022. The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Patrick Thelwell are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.’ A statement by the CPS added at the time: ‘It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings. The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offense, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.’

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