Queen's Abbey Portrait Defaced: Man Charged

An electrician has been bailed after appearing in court charged with defacing a portrait of the Queen in Westminster Abbey.

Tim Haries, 41, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court accused of criminal damage over £5,000.

The Ralph Heimans canvas, which was put on public display just last month, was damaged with spray paint.

The oil painting, entitled The Coronation Theatre, Westminster Abbey: A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, has since been taken from public display as a result of the damage.

Fathers4Justice claimed the criminal damage was part of a Father's Day protest by one of their members.

Officers were called to the Abbey around 12.30pm on Thursday after security guards detained a man.

The portrait was designed to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and had only been on display in the Chapter House for a few weeks before it was vandalised with paint.

The painting itself measures 9ft by 11ft and depicts the monarch in the Sacrarium of Westminster Abbey, also known as the Coronation Theatre.

The painting was shown publicly for the first time in September by the Australian governor-general Quentin Bryce at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

It was moved to London and put on display in the Abbey last month.

Mr Heimans said at the time of its first public unveiling: "Through the narrative of the portrait I wanted to produce a work of particular significance for the Diamond Jubilee.

"By representing the Queen as she reflects on this incredible milestone in her life, I wanted to explore the dynamic between her public role and the personal, emotional dimension."

Haries will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on June 28.