A student has been found guilty of threatening behaviour after throwing eggs at the King in York.

Patrick Thelwell, 23, was arrested last November after he shouted “the King is a paedophile” after throwing “at least five” eggs towards King Charles during a walkabout in York last year.

He appeared at York Magistrates’ Court this morning and posed for pictures holding a sign with an egg on it before the hearing.

In January, Thelwell pleaded not guilty to a Section 4 public order offence, arguing his use of “low-level violence” was “lawful” as it was self-defence against “the violence carried out by the British state”.

But he was found guilty today.

Paul Goldspring, chief magistrate and senior district judge, found the defendant guilty of the charge.

He said Thelwell “intended to cause King Charles to believe immediate unlawful violence would be used against him”.

The eggs narrowly missed the King as the royals greeted people on the city’s Micklegate Bar on 9 November.

As the eggs were being thrown, a suited protection officer positioned himself next to the King and briefly held his shoulder.

The King and Queen Consort had arrived in the city to unveil a statue of the late Queen at York Minster and were being welcomed by local dignitaries.

In January, Harry May, 21, was fined £100 and ordered to pay £85 for a non-related egg attack on the King when he visited Luton in December.

May told police the egging was motivated by his belief that the King’s visit to “deprived and poor” Luton was “in bad taste”, prosecutors said.