Scammer tried to sell Queen Elizabeth II's 'walking stick' days after her death

A frauster posed as the late Queen's footman in a bid to sell "her walking stick" just days after she died.

Dru Marshall, 26, claimed to be a Senior Footman at Windsor Castle when he listed an ‘antler walking stick’ for sale on eBay a week after Elizabeth II died in September 2022,

In the trickster's online listing he claimed that Her Majesty used the stick in her later years and that the money raised would be donated to Cancer Research UK. The bids had reached a high sum of £540 when he hastily closed the listing in response to reports that the police were investigating his 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. Debunking the claim his account had been hacked by a friend in Spain, prosecutors used Marshall’s online search history to show his intent to defraud potential victims by finding the terms ‘the Queen’ and ‘how to delete an eBay listing’.

Marshall, of Romsey, Hampshire, was sentenced to a 12-month Community Order on Monday (8 January) at Southampton Magistrates Court. He was also ordered to complete 40 hours of unpaid work and must pay a victim surcharge of £114 and £500 in costs.

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 – and the CPS will continue to work hand-in-glove with law enforcement to bring fraudsters to justice.”