Golden toilet heist: UK man avoids jail for role in £4.8m Blenheim Palace theft

Time of India

20-05-2025

Frederick Doe, right, with his father outside Oxford Crown Court in Oxford, England (AP)
A 37-year-old jeweller from Windsor, Berkshire, has been handed a 21-month prison sentence, suspended for two years,by a UK court, for his involvement in the 2019 theft of an
18-carat gold toilet
valued at £4.8 million from Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill.
Frederick Doe, also known as Frederick Sines, was convicted of conspiracy to transfer criminal property after attempting to broker the sale of the stolen artwork, titled "America," by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.
The theft occurred in September 2019, when a group of masked thieves armed with sledgehammers and crowbars broke into the palace, removed the fully functioning gold toilet, and fled the scene in stolen vehicles.
The heist, which lasted just five minutes, caused significant damage to the historic property due to flooding from the plumbed-in installation. The toilet, weighing approximately 98 kilograms, was never recovered and neither was any gold, which is believed to have been melted down.
Doe's role in the crime was as a foolish middleman attempting to facilitate the sale of the stolen gold, said Judge Ian Pringle.
'You had a limited function, you had no personal gain, you had no wider involvement and you were involved for a short period," he said, according to a report by AFP.
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He added that the perpetrators of the 'audacious heist" clearly aimed to offload the artwork without delay.
He was found to have communicated with one of the burglars, James Sheen, about finding a buyer for the gold, referring to it using the code word "cars." Despite his limited involvement, Doe was convicted due to his attempts to convert the stolen property into cash.
Judge Ian Pringle noted that while Doe's actions were "foolish," he had been exploited by the actual thieves and did not benefit financially from the crime.
The judge also considered Doe's previously good character, family responsibilities including caring for a sick wife and four children and his charitable work running a boxing club for underprivileged youth. These factors contributed to the decision to suspend his sentence and order him to complete 240 hours of unpaid community service.
Two other men, James Sheen and Michael Jones, who played more direct roles in the crime, are due to be sentenced next month.
The 39-year-old Jones was convicted along with Doe who was found guilty of burglary. While Sheen, pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and money laundering.
The theft has been widely discussed due to the high-profile nature of the artwork.The case has drawn attention to the issue of art theft and the lengths to which individuals will go to profit from stolen cultural artifacts. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the theft and the fate of the stolen toilet.