Sentencing expected in case of stolen Winston Churchill portrait in Ottawa

By Canadian Press on May 26, 2025.

OTTAWA — The Ontario man who pleaded guilty to stealing an iconic portrait of former British prime minister Winston Churchill from Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier is expected to be sentenced today in court.

Jeffrey Wood entered his plea earlier this year, admitting to stealing the portrait and to knowingly committing forgery by making a false document.

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.

Police said the portrait was stolen from the hotel sometime between Christmas Day 2021 and Jan. 6, 2022, and replaced with a fake.

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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press