A Canadian court has sentenced a man to two years in prison for the theft of a famous photograph of Winston Churchill. The judge told art thief Jeffrey Wood that he stole a symbol of national pride “only for the money.”
The Roaring Lion, the portrait of the then British Prime Minister, was taken during the Second World War by photographer Yousuf Karsh. Churchill frowns in the photo, which was taken shortly after his speech to the Canadian Parliament in 1941. An adaptation of that photo is depicted on the 5 pound note.
The portrait disappeared sometime between Christmas 2021 and early 2022 from a hotel in Ottawa. Employees only discovered in August 2022 that the image had been replaced by a forgery. Investigators discovered that the real photo had been sold through an auction house in London to an unsuspecting man in Italy. The hotel has since recovered the work, reports CBC News.
Prior to the theft, Wood had contacted auction house Sotheby’s about the possible sale. He also wrote on social media that he would leave Canada and called the hotel.
Wood was taken away in handcuffs after the verdict. His lawyer called the sentence “excessively harsh” and announced an appeal. The lawyer had argued for community service, because Wood had no prior criminal record and had pleaded guilty.
The above photo is of Winston Churchill, but is not the stolen work The Roaring Lion.