Andrew chased by alleged stalker near Sandringham home, court hears

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor told Westminster Magistrates' Court that he was confronted by a balaclava‑clad man who chased him after an encounter near his Sandringham estate in Norfolk on 6 May. Alex Jenkinson, 39, of Stowmarket, Suffolk, stands accused of causing the former duke to “fear unlawful violence” while he was walking his dogs that day. Suffolk Police have applied for a civilian Stalking Protection Order against Jenkinson. The case is slated to open on 21 December. The court heard portions of the prince’s witness statement, which is expected to be central to the proceedings. Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram read extracts in which Mountbatten‑Windsor said he noticed a vehicle he presumed belonged to paparazzi and drove past it with his security detail. He described a man who “turned and faced me – he was wearing a balaclava face covering”. He provided a statement of the "out-of-place" man, and added in his statement: "I then saw a stray dog moving towards him." and “Then he realised who I was and began to sprint after my vehicle.” Jenkinson was absent from the hearing after being barred from the courtroom for arriving with his dog. His defence counsel, Claire Howell, told Judge Ikram the animal is an assistance dog for her client, who she said has ADHD and is homeless, and that he requires the dog’s presence. Howell acknowledged she lacks documentation to substantiate Jenkinson’s medical condition or his request for an assistance animal. Jenkinson denies the offence against Mountbatten‑Windsor and has also pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour intended to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence against Stephen Terry in King’s Lynn on 5 May. He is also opposing the application for the Stalking Protection Order. Currently on conditional bail, Jenkinson is prohibited from approaching Sandringham, Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, Windsor or Highgrove, from contacting the prince directly or indirectly, from assaulting him, and from entering Norfolk.