Churchill portrait thief loses appeal, heads to Supreme Court

By Canadian Press on October 30, 2025.

OTTAWA — The man who stole the “Roaring Lion” portrait of Winston Churchill from the Château Laurier in Ottawa in January 2022 has lost his sentence appeal.

Jeffrey Wood, who pleaded guilty to stealing the iconic portrait earlier this year, was sentenced to two years less a day in jail.

On Thursday, the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed his sentence appeal in a two-to-one ruling.

Lawrence Greenspon, Wood’s lawyer, says he is seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada in the coming weeks, based on reasons put forward by the dissenting judge.

Greenspon says Wood turned himself into jail this morning, as required, though he will be seeking bail pending the leave to appeal application.

Greenspon says the trial judge imposed a sentence of two years less a day when the “appropriate” sentence would have been house arrest or a conditional sentence order.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press