eBay: Hampshire fraudster who claimed to be Queen’s footman soon after death to sell walking stick punished

A manipulative conman who claimed to be the Queen's footman to defraud buyers on eBay has been sentenced. Watch more of our videos on Shots! and live on Freeview channel 276

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Dru Marshall, from Romsey, Hampshire, duped buys into bidding on a walking stick he falsely claimed was used by the late monarch "as she struggled with her mobility". The 26-year-old male listed the "antler walking stick" on the online auction site having claimed to be a senior footman at Windsor Castle.

The auction reached GBP540 before he cancelled the listing when he discovered that Thames Valley Police had launched an investigation. Marshall was found guilty of fraud by false representation at Southampton Magistrates' Court where he was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 40 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of GBP114 as well as GBP500 in costs.

Dru Marshall created the auction and said the money raised from the walking stick - falsely claimed to be belonging to Queen Elizabeth II - would be donated to Cancer Research UK. eBay quickly took down the auction once it reached over GBP500. Picture: Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty Images.

A Crown Prosecution Service[2] (CPS) spokesman said: "Just one week after the late Queen died in September 2022, Dru Marshall, 26 and now of Romsey, claimed to be a senior footman at Windsor Castle when he listed an 'antler walking stick' for sale via online auction. In his eBay listing, Marshall said the Queen used the stick in her final years 'as she struggled with her mobility' and dishonestly claimed the money raised would go to Cancer Research UK[3].

"Bids reached GBP540 when Marshall hastily closed the listing after discovering Thames Valley Police[4] were investigating the scam." The spokesman said that Marshall claimed that the sale "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". He added: "Prosecutors secured a conviction against Marshall by unravelling his ever-changing defence with extensive computer evidence. 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'."

Julie Macey, senior crown prosecutor for CPS Wessex[5], 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."

References

1. ^ Visit Shots! now (www.shotstv.com)
2. ^ Crown Prosecution Service (www.cps.gov.uk)
3. ^ Cancer Research UK (go.skimresources.com)
4. ^ Thames Valley Police (www.thamesvalley.police.uk)
5. ^ CPS Wessex (www.cps.gov.uk)