Suspended jail sentence for Lincolnshire detectorist who faked rare Roman horse brooch find

Funeral director Jason Price, 54, received national publicity after the copper-alloy horse figurine was said to be found near the village of Leasingham.

The Royal Navy veteran claimed to have unearthed the item under eight inches of soil in a heavily ploughed field during a 'Detecting for Veterans' charity event in the summer of 2019.

Initial independent specialist studies dated the object to the Roman period, circa. AD 43-410, being described as the 'first known of its kind.'

The so-called 'Leasingham Horse Brooch' was acquired and placed on display at Lincoln Museum in Lincoln in 2022 after Price was paid £5,000, thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of Lincoln Museums and Art Gallery, and featured on ‘Great British History Hunters’ on More4.

However doubts began to surface in February 2023 after Price continued to submit other items under the Portable Antiquities Scheme to Dr Lisa Brundle, the Finds Liaison Officer at Lincolnshire County Council, from a second Roman site at Long Bennington.

When the Leasingham Horse Brooch was submitted to Historic England for tests in February 2024 they confirmed it did not pre-date the 16th Century. Police were called and Price later admitted purchasing it online.

Declan Austin, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court the authorities began to suspect that some of the 188 items submitted by Price had been "seeded" - terminology used in the detectorist community for being planted in the soil.

A Roman knee brooch which Price claimed to have found at Long Bennington in October 2020, an area well known for Roman history, and would have been the first known example of its type in England was discredited by the British Museum, and Price later admitted planting the item.

Examination of a horse figurine and Bronze Age axe Price claimed to have unearthed at Long Bennington in February 2023 were found to have zinc levels too high to be genuine, and a gold ring purported to be Roman was dismissed immediately as it contained modern levels of alloy. A Roman pointed tool was also found.

Finally a hoard of Roman coins and figurine contained in pottery which Price submitted from Long Bennington as a "significant find" in August 2023 was found to have "not been buried in antiquity" and were not what would be found together in a hoard after they were examined by the British Museum in September 2024.

The court heard when Dr Brundle asked to visit the site of the coin find Price told her it was closed.

Price, of Purcell Close, Grantham, appeared in court after police carried out a search of his home in May last year and found a copy of a horse brooch.

During his initial police interview Price denied any offending but he later asked to be re-interviewed and admitted planting the Leasingham horse brooch after buying it online, and then getting carried away with the story.

The court heard Price appeared to be motivated by a desire for the council to excavate the Long Bennington site.

In reality many of the objects submitted by Price had been purchased off Ebay. Tests revealed the Leasingham Horse brooch was brass and had been painted with a faux patina effect.

Price admitted four charges of fraud by false representation relating to four claims submitted to the Finds Officer between September 2019 and August 2023.

Price was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years. He must also complete ten rehabilitation activity requirement days, 150 hours of unpaid work in the community, pay £1,000 court costs and compensation of £3,250 to Lincolnshire County Council.

In an impact statement which was read out in court Dr Brundle described how the "betrayal" had shaken her confidence in the authenticity of finds and had diverted time and resources from genuine archaeology.

Over 150 hours was also spent evaluating the many items submitted by Price.

Damian Sabino, mitigating, confirmed the £5,000 had been repaid and argued Price was a man of exemplary character who had "served his country" and ran a respected local business.

Mr Sabino told the court what was a hobby developed into an obsession for Mr Price

"Through me he wishes to apologise to the community at large," Mr Sabino stressed. "He no longer has that involvement with that hobby."

Mr Sabino added: "He is an employer. He has seven staff. An immediate custodial sentence would likely be the final nail in the coffin for that business."

Passing sentence, Recorder Nicholas Bacon KC told Mr Price that he considered the fraud “a very serious matter” and that Mr Price had abused a position of trust and responsibility, adding that there was sophisticated nature to his offending, which took place over a sustained period of time.

Will Mason, head of culture at Lincolnshire County Council, has commented on the case: “It's incredibly sad and disappointing that anyone would choose to exploit Lincolnshire’s rich heritage in this way.

“Thankfully, incidents like this remain rare due to the rigorous examinations carried out on objects before they are added to a museum's collection.

“In this instance, not only did Mr Price knowingly deceive the independent specialists who initially authenticated this object and others like it that he submitted to the council as treasures, he also deceived the thousands of visitors who were understandably fascinated by the Leasingham horse brooch following its discovery.”

The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a national scheme managed by the British Museum and records archaeological finds discovered by members of the public. Lincolnshire County Council is one of more than 119 local partner organisations.