Churchill portrait thief sentenced to two years less a day in jail

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 hotel was sentenced Monday to two years less a day in jail.

Jeffrey Wood admitted earlier this year that he stole the portrait and committed forgery.

Renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh snapped the celebrated 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 was returned to the hotel after a lengthy international investigation determined it was bought at an auction in London by an Italian man who was not aware it was stolen.

Wood’s lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, told reporters outside the Ottawa courthouse after sentencing that he would be launching an appeal within 10 days.

“It was an unnecessarily harsh sentence,” he said, “given that he’s a first offender, it’s a property crime and he pled guilty.”

When asked about the prospect of an appeal minutes after Greenspon spoke, Chateau Laurier general manager Geneviève Dumas simply said, “Good luck.”

“I think the case is solid,” she added.

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

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press