Pudsey woman to undergo psychiatric tests over Buckingham Palace bomb-hoax charge
A woman accused of sending a bomb threat to Buckingham Palace is to undergo a psychiatric assessment.
Diane Durham is accused of posting a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, which suggested a “thing liable to explode” was travelling to the 300-year-old royal residence on a train.
The 62-year-old appeared at Leeds Crown Court this morning but was not arraigned. Judge Simon Phillips KC said an assessment was required before she could enter a plea to the charge of communicating false information to the Metropolitan Police.
Durham, of Church Lane, Pudsey, was not represented during the hearing. Judge Phillips advised she obtain legal representation for future court appearances.
Once the psychiatric report is completed, and depending on the outcome, she could be brought back to court and enter her plea. She will appear in court again on December 16.
A potential trial date has been set aside for October next year and is expected to last around two days, should it go ahead. She was given bail.
During a previous court appearance at Leeds Magistrates’ Court she "fully accepted" writing the tweet and tagging the Metropolitan Police.
She said: "I fully accept making the post, I wrote it, I sent it. I didn't delete it until it was reported over a week later.”
The incident is said to have taken place on May 17. Durham was arrested at her home after the Met informed West Yorkshire Police.
If found guilty, she could face up to two years in prison.