A Canadian man has been sentenced to almost two years in prison for stealing a historic photograph of Sir Winston Churchill, dubbed “The Roaring Lion.” Jeffrey Wood pleaded guilty to the theft of the original print from the Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa during the period between Christmas 2021 and early January 2022. He also confessed to committing forgery linked to the theft.
The iconic photograph, captured by Yousuf Karsh in 1941, features a stern-looking Churchill shortly after his address to the Canadian parliament and is recognized worldwide, even appearing on the UK’s £5 note. Ottawa Police confirmed that the stolen image was located last year in Genoa, Italy, with a private buyer who was unaware of its illegitimate status.
The theft went unnoticed until August 2022, when a hotel staff member discovered that the original photo had been replaced with a counterfeit version. Canadian media reported that Wood claimed he stole the photograph in a bid to fund medical care for his brother, who was experiencing mental health challenges.
During the sentencing, Justice Robert Wadden remarked on the national significance of the photograph and the trust placed in public exhibits of such prized artifacts. He stated, "To steal, damage and traffic in such property is to breach that trust.” Following the verdict, Geneviève Dumas, the Château Laurier hotel's general manager, expressed satisfaction that Canadian history had been upheld.
Wood was sentenced to "two years less a day," which allows him to serve his time in a provincial institution instead of a federal facility. His attorney described the sentence as "unnecessarily harsh," given that Wood was a first-time offender.
