Latest news with #FrederickSines
Ammon
21-05-2025
- Ammon
Man who tried to sell $6.4m gold toilet stolen from English country house is spared jail
Ammon News - A man who tried to help a burglar cash in from the theft of a golden toilet valued at 4.74 million pounds ($6.4 million) was spared jail on Monday after a British judge said he had been taken advantage of by the thieves. Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, was given a suspended sentence at Oxford Crown Court for his role in helping to sell the 18-carat gold fully functioning toilet which was taken in 2019 from Blenheim Palace — the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born. 'Those responsible for this audacious heist, five individuals could be seen on CCTV, were clearly intent on disposing of their ill-gotten gains quickly,' Judge Ian Pringle told Doe. 'You foolishly agreed to assist.' The toilet was part of a satirical art installation, by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $6.2 million at auction in New York. The toilet weighed just over 215 pounds (98 kilograms). The value of the gold at the time was 2.8 million pounds and it was insured for 4.74 million pounds. AP
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Inside plot to steal £4.8million gold toilet that left thief 'stressed to death'
Today, one of the criminals behind one of the UK's most bizarre art heists - the theft of a solid gold toilet worth £4.8million - has been sentenced at Oxford Crown Court, nearly five years after their raid shocked the art world. The fully functional 18-carat gold toilet, titled America, was on display at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Created by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, the piece was a glittering centrepiece of a temporary exhibition when it was wrenched from its plumbing in the early hours of September 14, 2019. The court heard how a crew of masked thieves carried out the audacious raid in just five minutes, wielding sledgehammers and operating with military-like precision. Prosecutor Julian Christopher KC told jurors that the gang left behind their tools but made off with the 98kg toilet, insured for a staggering £4.75million. The gold alone was valued at approximately £ 2.8 million. Despite extensive investigations and high-profile media coverage, the toilet was never recovered. Prosecutors believe the sculpture was quickly broken down, melted, and dispersed. 'It appears to have been split up into smaller amounts of gold and never recovered,' Mr Christopher told the court. The heist was allegedly carefully planned, with surveillance and reconnaissance in the days leading up to the burglary. Michael Jones, 39, from Oxford, is accused of being part of the team who carried out the raid, with prosecutors alleging he photographed the toilet just 17 hours before it vanished. Another key player, James Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to burglary and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. He admitted playing a central role in both the theft and the attempted laundering of the gold that followed. Frederick Sines, 36, also known as Frederick Doe, from Winkfield in Windsor, and Bora Guccuk, 41, from west London, are accused of helping Sheen sell the stolen gold in the weeks after the crime. Both deny conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Described in court as a 'highly organised operation,' the theft was meticulously planned. The gang managed to remove the heavy, plumbed-in artwork without alerting security in time to stop them. Today, Frederick Sines was handed a suspended sentence at Oxford Crown Court. He was found guilty after he helped James Sheen sell some of the gold in the weeks following the raid. Judge Ian Pringle KC sentenced Doe to 21 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered him to do 240 hours of unpaid work. Doe, of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, was found guilty by a jury at the same court in March of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Jones and Sheen are set to be sentenced at a later date.
