Gold toilet stolen from Blenheim Palace in ‘audacious raid’, court hears
The toilet, which was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was a star attraction in an exhibition.
An “audacious raid” was carried out to steal a £2.8 million gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, a court has heard.
It is believed that the distinctive fully functioning toilet, entitled America, which had been installed as an artwork at the Oxfordshire country house where Sir Winston Churchill was born, has now been split up and disposed of, Oxford Crown Court was told.
The toilet, which was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was a star attraction in an exhibition when it was stolen by sledgehammer-wielding thieves who smashed their way into the palace.
Within days of the raid, two men were using “car” as a codeword for the stolen gold and contact was made with a Hatton Garden jeweller, the prosecution said.
Prosecutor Julian Christopher KC said the raid took just five minutes, adding: “This case concerns the theft of a work of art from Blenheim Palace in September 2019.
“It was an unusual work of art, being a fully functioning toilet made of 18 carat gold, entitled America.
“It weighed approximately 98kg and was insured for the sum of six million dollars (£4.75 million)
“The gold it was made from was itself worth in the region of £2.8 million at the time.”
Michael Jones, 39, from Oxford, pleaded not guilty in January to stealing artwork in an overnight raid in the early hours of September 14 2019.
Frederick Sines, 36, also known as Frederick Doe, of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, and Bora Guccuk, 41, from west London, each deny one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
The court heard that the sledgehammers were left at the scene.
Mr Christopher said: “The burglary was carefully planned and swiftly carried out.
“The men, five of them it appears, drove through locked wooden gates into the grounds of Blenheim Palace shortly before 5am in two stolen vehicles, an Isuzu truck and a VW Golf.
“They drove across a field, up to the front steps and smashed and broke in through a window.
“They knew precisely where to go, broke down the wooden door to the cubicle where the toilet was fully plumbed in, removed it, leaving water pouring out of the pipes, and drove away.
“All in all they spent just five minutes in the building.
“Clearly such an audacious raid would not have been possible without lots of preparation.”
A photograph was taken about 17 hours before the toilet was stolen and the prosecution allege that Jones had taken it while he was “there as part of the reconnaissance for the burglary”.
Mr Christopher added: “The work of art was never recovered. It appears to have been split up into smaller amounts of gold and never recovered.”
It is alleged that Doe and Guccuk agreed to help one of the men who carried out the burglary – a defendant called James Sheen – to sell some of the gold in the following weeks.
Jurors were told that a fourth defendant, Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, has previously pleaded guilty to burglary.
He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property, at Oxford Crown Court in April 2024.
In a WhatsApp voice message to Doe on September 16, Sheen said: “I’ll link up with ya, I got something right up your path.”
Doe replied: “I do know just the man you need to see once you see me, the word on the street about the car, so I have the man there for you.”
The prosecution said the jewellers that Doe rang was Pacha of London in Hatton Garden, London, a business owned by Guccuk.
They also exchanged messages about loose lips sinking ships, the court heard.
There was no description of what sort of car was involved.
Mr Christopher said: “They both knew full well what was being talked about in this way because it was hot property. It is stolen property.”
The prosecution allege they spoke about the gold from the burglary and Sheen said that “boys car is getting offered 26 and half”.
It is alleged this is a reference to a price which others involved had been offered for their share of the gold, namely £26,500 per kilo.
Official data suggests the normal price at the time for a kilogram of 18 carat gold was about £29,000, which would be the price for gold being sold legitimately on the open market.
Sheen told Doe that he had “20 cars”, which could been seen as reference to 20kg of the gold, according to the prosecution.
It is alleged that Doe later told Sheen “I’ll find out now mate, I’ll get some numbers now for you”.
Mr Christopher said he “then rang not a second-hand car dealership, but rather a jewellers”, in Hatton Garden.
Jones was arrested on October 16 2019 and police analysed his phone. He had allegedly been searching for newspaper reports about the stolen toilet on September 20.
It was also suggested that mobile telephone data allegedly appears to put Sheen, Doe and Guccuk in the vicinity of the Hatton Garden jeweller on September 23.
The trial continues.
