Man who claimed to be selling late queen’s walking stick sentenced for fraud
A man has been sentenced for trying to flog a walking stick he claimed belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.
Dru Marshall, 26, from Hampshire, told prospective buyers on eBay he had worked as a footman on the royal grounds at Windsor Castle.
This was, he claimed, how he came into possession of an antler walking stick once used by the late monarch.
He further told bidders the proceeds from the stick’s sale would go to cancer research.
Marshall initially denied fraud by false representation at Southampton Magistrates’ Court but was nevertheless convicted at trial toward the end of last year.
On Monday, he received a 12-month community order sentence.
Senior crown prosecutor Julie Macey said: ‘Dru Marshall used the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to try and hoodwink the public with a fake charity auction, fuelled by greed and desire for attention.
‘Marshall’s scheme was ultimately foiled before he could successfully con any unsuspecting victims.’
Bidding for Marshall’s fake regal walking stick reached £540 before the listing attracted the attention of police.
This happened when one of his five bidders asked for proof the item was genuine, alerting the royal protection branch of the Met when he failed to respond.
His home in Southampton was subsequently raided.
During the search, officers found a hoard of other monarchy-related memorabilia, including a framed portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and a book of photographs of Princess Diana.
His laptop was also seized, with authorities discovering on his search history queries on how to remove eBay advertisements and ‘good solicitors Southampton.’
Initially, Marshall told officers his account had been hacked by an anti-monarchist friend in Spain.
He later described the scam in court as a social experiment gone wrong, saying: ‘I consider myself to be a royalist and just wanted to see what would happen.
‘It was not about money or finances. It was curiosity. Bad curiosity but curiosity nonetheless. I wanted to see how seriously it would be taken by people viewing the post.’
He went on to say: ‘It feels like a monstrous betrayal of the house of Windsor. It’s something I deeply regret.’
Convicting Marshal, the magistrate was unconvinced, telling the defendant: ‘We did not find anything you said in court today credible.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.