The Powassan man who stole a famous portrait of Winston Churchill from an Ottawa hotel will pay for his crime with jail time.
Jeffrey Wood stole the world-famous portrait between Christmas 2021 and January 2022 from Ottawa's Château Laurier Hotel.
The photo, known as "The Roaring Lion," was switched out with a fake, fooling hotel staff,
Yesterday in Ottawa, Wood was sentenced to two years less a day, handcuffed, and led from the courtroom.
Wood had pleaded guilty to forgery, theft over $5,000 and trafficking property obtained by crime. Wood entered his plea in March, admitting to stealing the portrait and knowingly committing forgery by making a false document.
Justice Robert Wadden told Wood he was guilty of stealing a "cultural and historical" portrait that was a "point of national pride."
See: Powassan man's sentencing expected in case of stolen Winston Churchill portrait in Ottawa
Renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh snapped the iconic portrait in 1941 in the Speaker’s office just after Churchill delivered a rousing wartime address to Canadian lawmakers.
Karsh, a longtime resident of the Château Laurier, gave the portrait to the hotel in 1998. It has now been returned to the hotel.
The portrait had been attached to a wall with special bolts that required specific knowledge and unique tools to unfasten.
The swap was only discovered months later, in August, when a hotel worker noticed the frame was not hung properly.
The portrait's return to the hotel followed a lengthy international investigation, with police determining it was bought at an auction in London by an Italian man who was unaware it was stolen
After Wood was taken into custody, his lawyer told reporters the decision was "unnecessarily harsh" and would be appealed.
- With files from the Canadian Press