QUEEN OF ENGLAND’S RELATIVE SENT TO JAIL FOR RAPING A WOMAN IN HIS CASTLE

A relative of the Queen of England was sentenced to 10 months in jail for sexually assaulting a woman at his family’s ancestral home in Scotland, according to the BBC.

Simon Bowes-Lyon, the Earl of Strathmore, is Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin twice removed, the BBC reported, and is part of her mother’s family.

The rape happened during a three-day event at Glamis Castle, The Guardian reports. Bowles-Lyon came to the woman’s room after 1 a.m., forced himself inside and sexually assaulted her.

During the trial, The Guardian wrote that Sheriff Alastair Carmichael told Bowes-Lyon: “Throughout all of this she made it clear that she wanted you to stop. She told you repeatedly that she had a boyfriend, repeatedly told you to leave and repeatedly had to keep pushing you away from her. All of which you ignored.”

A year after the attack, the victim says she still has nightmares and feels panicked, according to The Guardian.

The sheriff said a lesser sentence like community service or house arrest would not be appropriate.

The Guardian reported that Carmichael said, “In particular, [these lesser sentences] would not address the gravity of this crime, they would not provide an adequate level of punishment, they would not adequately express society’s disapproval of such conduct, and they would not adequately deter others who may be tempted to behave in a similar way.”

Bowes-Lyon made a statement after his guilty plea, saying he was ashamed of his actions, according to The Guardian. He said he had “drunk to excess,” but that that was “no excuse” for his actions.

He added: “I did not think I was capable of behaving the way I did but have had to face up to it and take responsibility.

“Over the last year, this has involved seeking and receiving professional help as well as agreeing to plead guilty as quickly as possible.”

In addition to his 10-month jail sentence, Bowles-Lyon will be placed on the sex-offender list for 10 years. Glamis Castle has been the seat of the Bowes-Lyon family since 1372, according to The Royal Observer.