Jean-Baptiste Sipido
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Victor Sipido (20 December 1884 – 20 August 1959) was a Belgian
anarchist who became known when he, then a young tinsmith's apprentice, attempted to assassinate the Prince of Wales
at the Brussel-Noord railway station in Brussels
on April 5, 1900.
Accusing the Prince of causing the slaughter of thousands during the Boer War
in South Africa, the fifteen-year-old leaped onto the foot board of the royal compartment right before the train left the station, and fired two shots through the window. Sipido missed everyone inside and was quickly wrestled to the ground.
The assassination attempt and the following trial is notable mostly for the acquittal of Sipido, despite the facts of the case being mostly clear but based on his being below the age of sixteen. The jury "held that by reason of his age he had not acted with discernment
and could not be considered doli capax" or legally responsible. The court did not even detain Sipido in a reformatory. After the trial, Sipido immediately crossed the border to France.
The acquittal caused a very hostile reaction from Britain with the Leader of the British House of Commons
calling it a "grave and most unfortunate miscarriage of justice".
Sipido ended his working life as technical and commercial director of the General Society of Belgian Socialist Cooperatives, later retiring to Cagnes in the Department of Alpes-Maritimes
in France.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
anarchist who became known when he, then a young tinsmith's apprentice, attempted to assassinate the Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
at the Brussel-Noord railway station in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on April 5, 1900.
Accusing the Prince of causing the slaughter of thousands during the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
in South Africa, the fifteen-year-old leaped onto the foot board of the royal compartment right before the train left the station, and fired two shots through the window. Sipido missed everyone inside and was quickly wrestled to the ground.
The assassination attempt and the following trial is notable mostly for the acquittal of Sipido, despite the facts of the case being mostly clear but based on his being below the age of sixteen. The jury "held that by reason of his age he had not acted with discernment
Discernment
Discernment is a term used to describe the activity of determining the value and quality of a certain subject or event. Typically, it is used to describe the activity of going past the mere perception of something, to making detailed judgments about that thing...
and could not be considered doli capax" or legally responsible. The court did not even detain Sipido in a reformatory. After the trial, Sipido immediately crossed the border to France.
The acquittal caused a very hostile reaction from Britain with the Leader of the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
calling it a "grave and most unfortunate miscarriage of justice".
Sipido ended his working life as technical and commercial director of the General Society of Belgian Socialist Cooperatives, later retiring to Cagnes in the Department of Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
in France.