Born a dwarf with a hunchback, Bean shot at the Queen because he wanted to be transported to a penal colony as he was unhappy with his life in England.
He sold his Bible and other books in order to buy a second-hand flintlock pistol for 3 shillings in the hopes of emulating him.
[2][3] Immediately, Bean was grabbed by the wrist by Charles Edward Dassett who took him over to two nearby policemen, Constables Hearn and Calxston.
[5] Dassett kept the gun and was arrested in Green Park later in possession of it, but told the police about Bean.
Lord Arbinger responded to these arguments during his summing up citing that a man had previously been indicted for grinning at King George III.
The other, Thomas Vosper, claimed that he had been staring at Bean's gun for fifteen minutes but he did nothing about it, testifying to the court "I wanted to see the result.
"[8] Lord Arbinger said that would have made Vosper guilty of misprision of treason but left it to the jury to decide the weight of the evidence that contradicted Dassett's testimony.
[4] Following the case, the Queen's husband Prince Albert felt that treasonable acts which were factually harmless which resulted in a death penalty were too harsh.
Accordingly, he asked Parliament to make a law to recognise minor treason offences that did not carry the death penalty.
On 19 July 1882, Bean was found dead at his home in Camberwell after consuming a large amount of opium from a bottle labelled "poison".
[6] A coroner's inquiry at St Thomas' Hospital found for a verdict of death by suicide caused by temporary insanity.