On Tuesday, a British man was found guilty of stealing an 18-carat golden toilet that was being exhibited as an artwork in a display at Winston Churchill’s birthplace.
The stolen item was a fully operational toilet named “America,” created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, and it was taken from Blenheim Palace in southern England, a significant tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During the trial that commenced last month, prosecutor Julian Christopher informed the jury that a gang of five individuals used two stolen vehicles to force their way through locked wooden gates onto the palace grounds in the early hours of September 14, 2019.
This screenshot made from a video shows the 18-karat toilet, titled “America,” by Maurizio Cattelan in the restroom of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Sept. 16, 2016. (AP photo)
They broke in through a window, smashed down a wooden door, ripped the toilet from the wall and left after five minutes in the building.
The toilet weighing 98 kilos was insured for $6 million. Prosecutors say it was probably divided into smaller amounts of gold to sell it off.
Michael Jones, 39, was found guilty of burglary at Oxford Crown Court, having pleaded not guilty.
Fred Doe, 36, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property, namely the gold, while 41-year-old Bora Guccuk was acquitted of that charge.
James Sheen, 39, had pleaded guilty before trial to burglary, conspiring to convert or transfer the gold and converting or transferring the gold.
James Sheen pleaded guilty before trial. (iStock)
Shan Saunders of the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement: “This was an audacious raid which had been carefully planned and executed – but those responsible were not careful enough, leaving a trail of evidence in the form of forensics, CCTV footage and phone data.”
Saunders added that “while none of the gold was ever recovered … we are confident this prosecution has played a part in disrupting a wider crime and money laundering network”.
