The man accused of stealing Winston Churchill's portrait pleaded guilty

Jeffrey Wood, center, arrives at the Ottawa Court, along with Lawrence Greenspon, right, and Hannah Drennan for a hearing at Ottawa, Friday, March 14, 2025 (Chris Tanouye/The Canadian Press).

The Ontario man accused of stole an iconic portrait of former British prime minister Winston Churchill at the Chateau Laurer hotel in Ottawa said guilty.

Jeffrey Wood presented the plea in a courtroom in Ottawa this morning, more than three years after the photo disappeared from the hotel.

Theft took place at the end of 2021 or at the beginning of 2022, but was not discovered for months, because the thief replaced the original print with a copy and put it back to the wall.

The discovery launched a global investigation that followed the portrait to a British auction house and finally to a buyer in Italy who did not know that he bought stolen art.

Wood was arrested in April 2024.

He pleaded guilty for three charges: theft of over $ 5,000, the trafficking of stolen properties and the knowledge of the case, making a false document.

This report of the Canadian press was first published on March 14, 2025.