Jeffrey Wood, the individual who pilfered The Roaring Lion portrait of Winston Churchill from Ottawa’s Château Laurier hotel between the holiday season of 2021 and early January 2022, has been granted the opportunity to challenge his prison term. The renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh, who resided at Château Laurier for an extended period, gifted the portrait to the hotel in 1998. It was restored to the hotel subsequent to its disappearance and the global search that concluded in September 2024.
March 2025 saw Wood admit guilt to forgery, theft exceeding $5,000, and dealing in property acquired through criminal means, with three other accusations being dropped. In May 2025, Wood was handed a sentence of less than two years in custody.
Wood’s attorney, Lawrence Greenspon, criticized the severity of the sentence as “unnecessary” and lodged an appeal. Ontario’s highest court dismissed this appeal in October. Subsequently, Greenspon escalated the matter to the Supreme Court of Canada, which confirmed on Thursday that it would review the appeal. Specific dates for the ensuing procedures have not yet been scheduled.