65 year old man arrested over alleged Churchill frauds in Lymington

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Art and Antiques Unit yesterday(Thursday, 3 February) arrested a 65-year-old man in Lymington, Hampshire on suspicion of fraud by misrepresentation.

The arrest comes after officers were alerted to a number of Winston Churchill books and memorabilia alleged to have fake signatures being offered for sale during the last 18 months.

These items were all purportedly signed by Churchill himself, thereby increasing their value as much as 1000%. Attempts at selling the items are believed to have been made via eBay or directly to victims.

Officers yesterday seized a number of calligraphy pens with ink and approximately 30 books by authors such as Tolkein, TS Eliott and Robert Louis Stephenson.

The arrested man has been taken to Lyndhurst Police Station in Hampshire where he currently remains in custody pending further enquiries.