Fine for 'Queen's walking stick' eBay fraud

Bids reached £540 before the sale was hastily closed

A fraudster who tricked eBay users into bidding for a walking stick purporting to belong to the late Queen has been fined.

Dru Marshall, 26, of Romsey, Hampshire, claimed to be a senior footman at Windsor Castle when he listed an "antler walking stick" for auction.

He was found guilty of fraud by false representation after a trial at Southampton Magistrates' Court.

He was fined £613 and handed a community order.

Prosecutors said Marshall listed the walking stick for sale online a week after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022.

In his eBay listing, Marshall said the Queen used the stick in her final years "as she struggled with her mobility", dishonestly claiming the money raised would go to Cancer Research UK.

Queen Elizabeth II was pictured with the distinctive walking stick alongside Prince George on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Pageant in June 2022

Bids reached £540 when he hastily closed the listing after discovering police were investigating the scam.

He pleaded not guilty to fraud by false representation, at different times claiming the venture was not a scam but a joke made in bad taste and later a social experiment to see how much attention his post would receive.

Computer evidence was used to show used Marshall's online search history illustrated his intent to defraud potential victims by finding the terms "the Queen" and "how to delete an eBay listing".

Julie Macey, senior crown prosecutor for CPS Wessex, 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 a desire for attention.

"Marshall's scheme was ultimately foiled before he could successfully con any unsuspecting victims."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]