Two men to be sentenced over £4.75 million gold toilet heist
Two men will be sentenced over the theft of a £4.75 million gold toilet from Blenheim Palace.
The fully-functioning 18-carat gold toilet, which had been installed as an artwork at the Oxfordshire country house where Sir Winston Churchill was born, was stolen in a raid in the early hours of September 14 2019.
The distinctive toilet, the star attraction in an exhibition at the property, is believed to have been broken up and disposed of after it was taken.
Jurors at Oxford Crown Court found Michael Jones, 39, guilty of burglary after a trial.
James Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, had already admitted burglary at the same court.
He also pleaded guilty to transferring criminal property and conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Sheen is serving a 17-year sentence for a string of thefts, including £400,000 worth of tractors and high-value trophies from the National Horse Racing Museum in Newmarket.
Jones, from Oxford, visited the palace twice before the theft, but denied these were reconnaissance trips.
He told jurors he 'took advantage of' the gold toilet's 'facilities' while at the country house the day before it was taken.
Asked what it was like, Jones said: 'Splendid.'
Jones had worked as a roofer and builder for Sheen from about 2018 and was effectively Sheen's 'right-hand man', being trusted to arrange payments for his friend's other employees.
He was arrested on October 16 2019 and police analysed his phone. He had been searching for newspaper reports about the stolen toilet on September 20, the trial heard.
Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, was found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
The 'foolish' middleman walked free from court last month after being given a suspended sentence for his part in the heist.
Doe helped Sheen sell some of the gold in the following weeks, the court heard.
Bora Guccuk, 41, from west London, was cleared of the same charge.
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