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Two men involved in the theft of a £4.5 million solid-gold toilet from Blenheim Palace have been sentenced to prison, nearly five years after the audacious crime.
James Sheen, 40, and Michael Jones, 39, were sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday to four years and 27 months respectively for their roles in the daring heist.
The 18-carat toilet, titled America, was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and had been on display at the stately Oxfordshire home — the birthplace of Winston Churchill — when it was stolen in September 2019.
Judge Ian Pringle described the theft as a “bold and brazen heist” that took just five and a half minutes to carry out. “America has never been seen again,” he added.
The toilet, which weighed 98 kilograms and functioned as a fully usable lavatory, was a centrepiece of the exhibition. It had been insured for $6 million and was crafted from 20 kilograms of solid gold, valued at around £2.8 million.
The thieves used sledgehammers to break into the palace, just hours after a high-profile launch event. Prosecutors believe the artwork was swiftly dismantled or melted down and sold on, with the gold never recovered.
Sheen, who is already serving a 19-year prison sentence for unrelated offences including museum burglary and attacks on cash machines, pleaded guilty to burglary and money laundering. His latest sentence will run consecutively, adding four more years to his existing term.
Jones, meanwhile, was found guilty of burglary at an earlier trial. He had visited Blenheim Palace the day before the theft and later told the court the golden toilet was “splendid”.
A third man, Frederick Doe, 37, who helped facilitate the sale of the stolen gold, avoided jail. He was found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property but was handed a suspended sentence last month.
The court heard that two days after the theft, Sheen contacted Doe via WhatsApp to ask for help selling the gold. Doe responded: “I do know just the man you need to see.”
It is believed Sheen transported the gold to Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter in September 2019, where he sold it at £26,000 per kilogram, netting approximately £520,000.
Despite the theft’s high profile and the significant sum involved, none of the gold has been recovered and the artwork remains missing.
