Man who attempted to kidnap Princess Anne in 1974 claims innocence

Ian Ball now says kidnap was always supposed to have failed and was plot to garner publicity to sell autobiography

The gunman who shot police officers during a botched attempt to kidnap Princess Anne has claimed he is innocent, six years after being released from a psychiatric hospital.

Ian Ball, who uses the pseudonym Anthony Stewart, claimed he expected Queen Elizabeth II’s daughter to have been swapped for a double and the gunpowder removed from his bullets ahead of the attempt in March 1974.