A Hampshire man who claimed to be selling a walking stick belonging to the late Queen Elizabeth II has been convicted of fraud.

Dru Marshall, 26, claimed to be a royal footman when he posted the advert on his eBay account eight days after the Queen died.

The listing had said cash raised would go to Cancer Research UK

Giving evidence at Southampton Magistrates' Court he said he was simply engaging in a social experiment.

READ MORE: Suspected eBay fraudster had Royal Family photos at home

He said: "I consider myself to be a royalist and just wanted to see what would happen.

"It was not about money or finances. It was curiosity. Bad curiosity but curiosity nonetheless.

"I wanted to see how seriously it would be taken by people viewing the post."

Marshall said he never intended to scam or defraud anyone.

His fake advert attracted five bids from people, one of whom demanded proof the sale was genuine.

When Marshall failed to respond police were alerted and he was arrested. The top bid had hit £540.

When interviewed by officers the defendant lied by claiming his eBay account had been hacked by an anti-royalist friend in Spain, the court heard.

The defendant described his actions as "stupidity at its finest" adding: "It feels like a monstrous betrayal of the house of Windsor. It's something I deeply regret.

"It was very foolish, to say the least. It's gone out to the media. Family and friends know, which has been quite hard to deal with. I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

John Reynolds, defending, said: "He was an absolute twit. He brought a whole heap of difficulty on himself, but he's only guilty of a criminal offence if he intended to make money for himself."

Marshall 26, of Clarendon Close, Romsey, denied fraud but was found guilty.

The presiding magistrate told him: We did not find anything you said in court today credible."

Marshall will be sentenced on January 8. He was remanded on unconditional bail.

As reported, officers who analysed his seized laptop discovered his search history - including him looking for how to remove an eBay advertisement and a search for "good solicitors Southampton".