SYDNEY - The man who attacked Britain's Prince Charles with a blank pistol
thought he was on a suicide mission, an Australian judge heard on Feb 4 before
granting bail and ordering him to undergo psychiatric
treatment.
University student David Kang, 23, lunged at Charles and fired
a starter pistol twice during Australia Day celebrations in Sydney on Jan 26.
No-one was hurt.
In a late bail hearing, New South Wales Supreme Court
Judge Rex Smart released Kang on Australian $5,000 (U.S. $3,580) bail provided
he remain in a Sydney hospital under the care of his psychiatrist.
Smart
reversed his decision to refuse bail after Kang's psychiatrist presented
evidence after interviewing Kang in Sydney's maximum security Long Bay
prison.
The court heard earlier on Friday that Kang had expected to be
shot in the attack on Charles and left a note telling his family he expected a
"rendezvous with God."
Kang carried magazine articles about a suicide,
which he referred to, to overcome his fear of death, police said. Other articles
at Kang's home included one on a bomb.
Kang said he had not consciously
pointed the pistol at Charles. "I was running at the time," he said. "I just
pulled the trigger twice. I dropped it on the grass, not the stage as the police
said."
He said he decided to launch himself at Charles after he saw
"nobody was there". The attack sparked international criticism of Australian
security for Charles's visit.
Kang has said he staged the attack to bring
attention to the plight of Cambodians held in Australian detention
camps.
He faces four assault and firearms charges after two serious
charges of assaulting an internationally protected person, which carried jail
terms of up to 10 years, were dropped on Thursday.
Prosecutors said
Charles did not qualify as an internationally protected person - normally a head
of state.
Kang underwent psychiatric evaluation earlier this week. The
court was told Kang had been prescribed medication for depression, but stopped
taking it before the attack. He was also once put into a private psychiatric
hospital, but discharged himself the next day, the prosecutor said.
"The
applicant feels very deeply about any form of racism, and objects strongly to
racism which he believes is practiced by some people against people from Asian
countries," said Smart.
Kang's next court appearance is set for February
25.
- Reuters
