Fathers4Justice man held over Queen picture attack A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of defacing a portrait of the Queen in Westminster Abbey, police confirmed. Officers were called to the Abbey around 12.30pm today after security guards detained a 41-year-old man. He was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and taken to a central London police station where he is in custody, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said. The portrait, Ralph Heimans" oil on canvas designed to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, had been on display in the Chapter House for a few weeks before it was vandalised with paint. It has since been removed from public view. An Abbey spokesman said: "In an incident at lunchtime today, 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. Campaign group Fathers4Justice said one of its members was responsible for the damage, in an apparent "Father's Day protest." A spokesman said it was not an official protest. Painted by Australian-born Mr Heimans, the piece measures 9ft by 11ft and depicts the monarch in the Sacrarium of Westminster Abbey, also known as the Coronation Theatre. The painting, entitled The Coronation Theatre, Westminster Abbey: A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 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. The artist, who is based in London, had a sitting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on March 21 last year, but the scene is an imagined one, set at night in Westminster Abbey. 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. The work depicts the Queen in a moment of solitary reflection, standing at the centre circle of the Cosmati pavement, on the exact spot she was crowned.