A Fathers4Justice member has been arrested after a portrait of Britain's Queen Elizabeth was defaced with paint today (13.06.13).
The 41-year-old man has been detained by police and the protest group - which is also known as F4J - believe the dad-of-two, who they claim is Tim Haries, from Doncaster, is a member of the organisation, but insist it is not an official protest.
In a post on their Facebook page, which was accompanied by a picture of a man they claim is Tim, Fathers4Justice said: "F4J STATEMENT REF PROTEST IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY. We understand that a desperate father belonging to Fathers4Justice has attempted to write the word 'help' on a portrait of the queen in Westminster Abbey at lunchtime.
"The father is dad of two Tim Haries from Doncaster (see picture) who was trying to petition the queen for help before Father's Day on Sunday. (sic)"
Jolly Stanesby, Campaign Director for F4J, added: "Up to four million children will be without a father this Father's Day. Tim Haries has lost all contact with his children and felt he had nothing to lose by appealing directly to the queen for help by spraying his plea onto her portrait."
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "At approximately 1230hrs today, police were called to Westminster Abbey, where security guards had detained a 41-year-old man for defacing a painting.
"He was arrested by police on suspicion of criminal damage and taken to a central London police station where he is in custody."
The artwork was painted by Ralph Heimans and has only been on display in Westminster Abbey in central London since May.
The picture was specially commissioned for the queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations and is the only portrait made of the monarch in her Diamond Jubilee year last year.
A spokesman for the Abbey said: "In an incident at lunchtime today (13.06.13), a visitor to the Abbey sprayed paint on the Ralph Heimans portrait of the queen presently on display in the Chapter House.
"Until work can be done to remedy the damage it will, very regrettably, not be possible to have the painting on public view."
The painting shows the 87-year-old monarch standing in the Sacrarium of Westminster Abbey, but was painted during a sitting at Buckingham Palace to achieve the best possible resemblance.
The dramatic incident comes just nine days after the royal family attended a special service at the Abbey to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the queen's Coronation.
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