A metal detectorist and funeral director from Lincolnshire has walked free from court after admitting he fabricated the discovery of what was purported to be an 1,800-year-old Roman artefact.
Jason Price, 54, from Grantham, received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years at Lincoln Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation.
The Royal Navy veteran had claimed to unearth a copper-alloy horse figurine during a charity detecting event in 2019, but later confessed he had actually purchased the item through eBay.
Price was paid £5,000 for the supposed find, which was subsequently displayed at The Collection Museum in Lincoln and broadcast on television programme Great British History Hunters.
The so-called Leasingham Horse Brooch was initially hailed as a groundbreaking discovery that experts believed would transform understanding of Roman jewellery in Britain.
Price had told journalists he was “shaking” when he supposedly unearthed the object, which he initially mistook for rubbish. “My jaw fell,” he said at the time.
The fraudster claimed to have found the figurine buried eight inches deep in a heavily ploughed field near Leasingham during a Detecting for Veterans charity event.
It was recorded as the first three-dimensional horse brooch on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database, dating from AD 43-410.
Jason Price received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years
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SAHA
Suspicions emerged in February 2023 when Price continued submitting items from another site at Long Bennington. When Historic England tested the brooch in February 2024, they confirmed it could not predate the 16th century.
Prosecutor Declan Austin told the court that authorities suspected Price had “seeded” items – terminology used among detectorists for planting objects in soil. More than 150 hours were spent evaluating the numerous submissions he made.
Dr Lisa Brundle, the Finds Liaison Officer at Lincolnshire County Council, described the “betrayal” in an impact statement, explaining it had shaken her confidence and diverted resources from genuine archaeological work.
Defence barrister Damian Sabino said Price’s hobby had become an obsession. “Through me he wishes to apologise to the community at large,” he told the court.
The metal detectorist admitted he fabricated the discovery of what was purported to be a Roman artefact
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LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE
Price must complete 150 hours of unpaid work, pay £1,000 in court costs and £3,250 compensation to the council. The £5,000 payment has been repaid.
Will Mason, head of culture at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “It’s incredibly sad and disappointing that anyone would choose to exploit Lincolnshire’s rich heritage in this way.”