Individual with Swords Outside Parliament Allegedly Sought to Speak with Johnson, Court Hears

A court has been informed that a man, who reportedly appeared outside Parliament wearing armour and carrying samurai swords, wished to “speak with Boris Johnson”. Lewis Allington, 34, from March, Cambridgeshire, was arrested after the incident occurred outside Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, which led to the temporary closure of the Carriage Gates entrance. He subsequently appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, charged with two counts of possession of bladed articles. District Judge Briony Clarke remitted the case to Southwark Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing scheduled for 12 December. Malachy Pakenham, the prosecuting lawyer, informed the court that the defendant traveled to London from Cambridgeshire, put on body armour, and attended Parliament “with two samurai swords, asking to see Boris Johnson”. Defence lawyer Norman Cho asserted that Mr Allington had “no intention of harming someone with weapons”. District Judge Clarke advised Mr Allington, who was dressed in a red sweatshirt and green trousers, that he would be granted bail on the condition that he remained at a Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Trust facility, following a recent mental health assessment conducted in Hammersmith. She further added that Mr Allington is prohibited from entering London and the area within the M25. Before exiting the dock, Mr Allington inquired about the swords and armour, to which the judge responded: “Nothing is being destroyed at the moment.”