Latest news with #JamesSheen
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Multimillionaire's son avoiding prison for his involvement in sale of stolen £4.8 million Golden Toilet is 'laughable', art theft expert Christopher A. Marinello tells new Mail podcast
It is 'laughable' that Fred Doe, the son of a multimillionaire caravan magnate, avoided a jail sentence for his involvement in the sale of a £4.8 million golden toilet stolen from Blenheim Palace, an art theft expert told the Mail's 'The Trial' podcast. Fred Doe, 37, was convicted following a trial in March of attempting to broker the sale of around 10 kilos of the stolen gold on behalf of burglar and family friend James Sheen, 40. Judge Ian Pringle KC sentenced Doe to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years, after accepting that he had strong personal mitigation due to his wife's poor health and the wellbeing of his children. Lawyer Christopher A. Marinello, one of the world's foremost experts in recovering stolen, looted, and missing works of art, said the awarding of a suspended sentence shows ' crime does pay in the UK.' 'It's laughable', Mr Marniello told crime reporters, Jack Hardy and Caroline Cheetham. 'It's not a deterrent. The bottom line is that this was a laughably light sentence. It shows that the judges, and the prosecutors, are disconnected from victims worldwide. 'The sentencing says we do not treat burglaries and art crimes as seriously as other crimes. That we do not realise the scars the victims get when they are robbed, when everything they have worked for is taken away from them. 'That says to criminals – come to London, crime does pay in the UK.' Doe became involved in the conspiracy when he heard Sheen - whom he knew through the traveller community - had snatched the toilet and offered to use his extensive contacts in Hatton Garden to sell the stolen gold. Crispin Aylett KC, defending Doe, told the court that he was a 'bit-part player who succeeded only in delaying James Sheen from converting his gold into cash'. Failing to sell the gold in London, Sheen took it Birmingham, later bragging in a text message to Doe hat he had made £520,000 from selling his share of the gold to an unidentified jeweller. Asked to speculate where the stolen gold could be now, Mr Marniello said: 'It could be anywhere'. Subscribe to The Crime Desk to hear exclusive coverage of the Sycamore Gap trial on The Trial+ Join here Despite the creator of the golden toilet, Maurizio Cattelan, finding amusement in his work of art being stolen, the lawyer was keen to stress that the heist was not a victimless crime. 'It's the insurance company that's the victim here', Mr Marniello said. 'And guess what? The insurance company is going to raise its rates – and who's going to pay for that? You and me. 'When they raise their rates – their stocks go down – and their stocks are owned by our pension plans. We are the victims in all of this.' The 18-carat golden toilet was an artwork called 'America' and was plumbed in at Blenheim Palace for visitors to use at an exhibition in September 2019. But in the early hours of September 14 - just two days after the toilet went on display - a gang of five men came screeching into the grounds of Winston Churchill's birthplace in two stolen cars. Extraordinary CCTV captured the unfolding raid as three of the men smashed their way through a window with sledgehammers and crowbars and emerged just minutes later with the golden toilet. No trace has ever been found. Follow the exclusive Trial podcast for the upcoming sentencing of James Sheen and Michael Jones for their involvement in the theft and sale of the Golden Toilet. To hear the Mail's award-winning coverage of the Golden Toliet trial, as the case unfolds, subscribe to The Crime Desk today.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Telegraph
Golden lavatory theft middle man avoids prison
A watch dealer who tried to sell parts of a £4.8 million golden lavatory stolen from Blenheim Palace claimed he had been 'taken advantage of' by a gang of burglars. Frederick Doe, 37, avoided jail on Monday for his part in the heist after a judge handed him a 21-month sentence, suspended for two years. The 18-carat lavatory was snatched in September 2019 by a gang of five men, who smashed their way into the palace before fleeing in a stolen car. One of the criminals, Michael Jones, 39, was convicted of burglary in connection with the crime after a trial in March. The alleged mastermind, James Sheen, 40, pleaded guilty to burglary last year. Doe had helped Sheen try to sell some of the gold in the weeks following the theft after he was 'targeted' by the gang because of his legitimate contacts in the Hatton Garden jewellery district. He had approached a jeweller and arranged for him to value the gold, but the sale collapsed. The jeweller, Bora Guccuk, was acquitted at trial of laundering the stolen goods. At Oxford Crown Court on Monday, judge Ian Pringle KC sentenced Doe to 21 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered him to do 240 hours of unpaid work. Speaking outside court, Doe said: 'My good nature has been taken advantage of. I got caught up in something I should not have and now I just want to go home and enjoy my family. I am a good person.' He left in a car surrounded by a group of friends, who shouted, 'He is a good person,' and said they would be going for a drink to celebrate. Mr Pringle said the value of the gold Doe was trying to sell was likely to have been around £250,000. None of the gold has been recovered. The judge said: 'A work of art named America was stolen from Blenheim Palace when it was on display there. Those responsible for that audacious heist were all clearly interested in disposing of their ill-gotten gains quickly. 'One of them was James Sheen. He knew you or knew of you through a mutual friend. He clearly also knew you had business connections, entirely legitimate ones, I might add, with Hatton Gardens in London. 'You foolishly agreed to assist him, and I use your words during the trial when asked how you felt about this now and you said 'I feel a fool'. You agreed to assist Mr Sheen without any hope or indeed any expectation of any reward for yourself.' He said Doe, a father of four, was of previous good character and was described as someone whose good nature 'people take advantage of'. The judge took into account several mitigating factors such as his work training underprivileged young athletes, and the fact his wife had recently been diagnosed with cancer. He rejected the suggestion by prosecutor Julian Christopher KC that Doe was one of the main players in the conspiracy. 'You were, at best, a middle man who was targeted by James Sheen as you knew people in Hatton Garden because of your knowledge of valuable watches,' he said. Doe is the son of Maurice Sines, a multi-millionaire caravan park magnate who has been accused by Irish authorities of being an associate of the notorious Kinahan Cartel. He has previously denied having anything to do with the world of organised crime, claiming he was being persecuted just for being friends with the Kinahans. Sheen and fellow burglar Jones are due to be sentenced over their role in the raid next month.
Glasgow Times
19-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
‘Foolish' middleman in £4.75m gold toilet heist given suspended prison term
A gang of thieves smashed their way in and ripped out the fully-functioning 18-carat gold toilet, a star attraction in an exhibition, in a raid in the early hours of September 14 2019. Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, was found guilty by a jury at Oxford Crown Court in March of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Frederick Doe, right, with his father outside Oxford Crown Court (PA Wire) On Monday, Doe of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work. The heist took place hours after a glamorous launch party and it is believed the distinctive toilet, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was split up or melted down and sold on soon after it was stolen. None of the gold has been recovered. Passing sentence, Judge Ian Pringle KC said: said: 'You had a limited function, you had no personal gain, you had no wider involvement and you were involved for a short period.' He rejected the suggestion by prosecutor Julian Christopher KC that Doe was one of the main players in the conspiracy, saying: 'You were, at best, a middleman, who was targeted by James Sheen as you knew people in Hatton Garden because of your knowledge of valuable watches.' He said Doe was 'targeted' for his legitimate contacts in the Hatton Garden jewellery district. The judge told Doe: 'Those responsible for this audacious heist, five individuals could be seen on CCTV, were clearly intent on disposing of their ill-gotten gains quickly – one of them was James Sheen and he knew you. 'He clearly knew you had business connections, legitimate business connections with the Hatton Garden area in London. 'You foolishly agreed to assist him.' The 18-carat solid gold toilet sculpture (Tom Lindboe/PA) The judge added: 'You agreed to assist Mr Sheen without any hope or expectation of a reward for yourself. 'You do things for people as favour without any expectation of reward for yourself. 'You no doubt, for the last five-and-a-half years, regret doing for James Sheen every day since your arrest.' The toilet was stolen during a five-minute 'audacious raid' by sledgehammer-wielding thieves who smashed their way in, the prosecution said. The toilet artwork, entitled America, weighed approximately 98 kilograms, was insured for six million US dollars (£4.75 million) and was made from gold which was itself worth about £2.8 million. The thieves drove through locked wooden gates into the grounds of the palace before breaking in through a window. The judge said he took account of the character references which spoke of Doe's 'kind, caring and selfless nature', as well as the impact that going to prison would have on his family of four children aged under 15 and his wife's ongoing health problems. Earlier, defence counsel Crispin Aylett KC told the court of the 'wealth' of character references that had been given on Doe's behalf. One of the thieves carrying a gold toilet seat in the courtyard at the front of Blenheim Palace (Thames Valley Police/PA) They included one from a magistrate who said: 'Sadly, he has some relationships with others who have taken advantage of his good nature.' Doe coaches underprivileged young athletes at the Sporting Ring boxing club and it might have to close if he were jailed as there are no other coaches with the necessary qualification levels, the court heard. During mitigation, Mr Aylett also said Doe's wife had a complex medical procedure during the trial and still needs tests to find out the state of her condition. Jurors heard Sheen first got in touch with Doe on September 16 2019 – two days after the raid at Blenheim Palace – asking if Doe could help him sell some of the gold. Doe replied to Sheen in a WhatsApp message: 'I do know just the man you need to see.' He also told Sheen he could 'sell the gold in a second'. Doe told the court he had 'never had any indication at any time that the gold was stolen' and would have 'never in a million years' helped sell stolen gold. The pair arranged to meet on September 23 2019 in Hatton Garden to see the owner of Pacha of London Jewellery, Bora Guccuk. Two men with a sledgehammer and a large crowbar in the courtyard at the front of Blenheim Palace (Thames Valley Police/PA) Doe said he had been passionate about watches since childhood, which led him to develop contacts with jewellers at Hatton Garden in London. It is believed Sheen took the 20 kilograms of gold from the toilet artwork to Birmingham Jewellery Quarter on September 27 2019 and sold it for £26,000 a kilogram – pocketing a total of £520,000, the jury trial heard. Doe hugged friends and family and punched the air as he left court and said he had been taken advantage of by those who stole the gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. Speaking outside court, Doe told the PA news agency: 'My good nature has been taken advantage of. 'I got caught up in something I should not have and now I just want to go home and enjoy my family. I am a good person.' He left in a car surrounded by a group of friends, who shouted 'he is a good person' and said they would be going for a drink to celebrate. In March, Michael Jones, 39, was found guilty of burglary after a trial in which the jury found Mr Guccuk, 41, from west London, not guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, had pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property, the court has previously heard. Jones and Sheen are to be sentenced at a later date.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Foolish' middleman in £4.75m gold toilet heist given suspended prison term
The 'foolish' middleman in a plot to steal a £4.75 million gold toilet from Blenheim Palace – the Oxfordshire country house where Sir Winston Churchill was born – has walked free from court after being given a suspended sentence. A gang of thieves smashed their way in and ripped out the fully-functioning 18-carat gold toilet, a star attraction in an exhibition, in a raid in the early hours of September 14 2019. Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, was found guilty by a jury at Oxford Crown Court in March of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. On Monday, Doe of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work. The heist took place hours after a glamorous launch party and it is believed the distinctive toilet, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was split up or melted down and sold on soon after it was stolen. None of the gold has been recovered. Passing sentence, Judge Ian Pringle KC said: said: 'You had a limited function, you had no personal gain, you had no wider involvement and you were involved for a short period.' He rejected the suggestion by prosecutor Julian Christopher KC that Doe was one of the main players in the conspiracy, saying: 'You were, at best, a middleman, who was targeted by James Sheen as you knew people in Hatton Garden because of your knowledge of valuable watches.' He said Doe was 'targeted' for his legitimate contacts in the Hatton Garden jewellery district. The judge told Doe: 'Those responsible for this audacious heist, five individuals could be seen on CCTV, were clearly intent on disposing of their ill-gotten gains quickly – one of them was James Sheen and he knew you. 'He clearly knew you had business connections, legitimate business connections with the Hatton Garden area in London. 'You foolishly agreed to assist him.' The judge added: 'You agreed to assist Mr Sheen without any hope or expectation of a reward for yourself. 'You do things for people as favour without any expectation of reward for yourself. 'You no doubt, for the last five-and-a-half years, regret doing for James Sheen every day since your arrest.' The toilet was stolen during a five-minute 'audacious raid' by sledgehammer-wielding thieves who smashed their way in, the prosecution said. The toilet artwork, entitled America, weighed approximately 98 kilograms, was insured for six million US dollars (£4.75 million) and was made from gold which was itself worth about £2.8 million. The thieves drove through locked wooden gates into the grounds of the palace before breaking in through a window. The judge said he took account of the character references which spoke of Doe's 'kind, caring and selfless nature', as well as the impact that going to prison would have on his family of four children aged under 15 and his wife's ongoing health problems. Earlier, defence counsel Crispin Aylett KC told the court of the 'wealth' of character references that had been given on Doe's behalf. They included one from a magistrate who said: 'Sadly, he has some relationships with others who have taken advantage of his good nature.' Doe coaches underprivileged young athletes at the Sporting Ring boxing club and it might have to close if he were jailed as there are no other coaches with the necessary qualification levels, the court heard. During mitigation, Mr Aylett also said Doe's wife had a complex medical procedure during the trial and still needs tests to find out the state of her condition. Jurors heard Sheen first got in touch with Doe on September 16 2019 – two days after the raid at Blenheim Palace – asking if Doe could help him sell some of the gold. Doe replied to Sheen in a WhatsApp message: 'I do know just the man you need to see.' He also told Sheen he could 'sell the gold in a second'. Doe told the court he had 'never had any indication at any time that the gold was stolen' and would have 'never in a million years' helped sell stolen gold. The pair arranged to meet on September 23 2019 in Hatton Garden to see the owner of Pacha of London Jewellery, Bora Guccuk. Doe said he had been passionate about watches since childhood, which led him to develop contacts with jewellers at Hatton Garden in London. It is believed Sheen took the 20 kilograms of gold from the toilet artwork to Birmingham Jewellery Quarter on September 27 2019 and sold it for £26,000 a kilogram – pocketing a total of £520,000, the jury trial heard. Doe hugged friends and family and punched the air as he left court and said he had been taken advantage of by those who stole the gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. Speaking outside court, Doe told the PA news agency: 'My good nature has been taken advantage of. 'I got caught up in something I should not have and now I just want to go home and enjoy my family. I am a good person.' He left in a car surrounded by a group of friends, who shouted 'he is a good person' and said they would be going for a drink to celebrate. In March, Michael Jones, 39, was found guilty of burglary after a trial in which the jury found Mr Guccuk, 41, from west London, not guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, had pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property, the court has previously heard. Jones and Sheen are to be sentenced at a later date.
North Wales Chronicle
19-05-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
‘Foolish' middleman in £4.75m gold toilet heist given suspended prison term
A gang of thieves smashed their way in and ripped out the fully-functioning 18-carat gold toilet, a star attraction in an exhibition, in a raid in the early hours of September 14 2019. Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, was found guilty by a jury at Oxford Crown Court in March of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. On Monday, Doe of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work. The heist took place hours after a glamorous launch party and it is believed the distinctive toilet, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was split up or melted down and sold on soon after it was stolen. None of the gold has been recovered. Passing sentence, Judge Ian Pringle KC said: said: 'You had a limited function, you had no personal gain, you had no wider involvement and you were involved for a short period.' He rejected the suggestion by prosecutor Julian Christopher KC that Doe was one of the main players in the conspiracy, saying: 'You were, at best, a middleman, who was targeted by James Sheen as you knew people in Hatton Garden because of your knowledge of valuable watches.' He said Doe was 'targeted' for his legitimate contacts in the Hatton Garden jewellery district. The judge told Doe: 'Those responsible for this audacious heist, five individuals could be seen on CCTV, were clearly intent on disposing of their ill-gotten gains quickly – one of them was James Sheen and he knew you. 'He clearly knew you had business connections, legitimate business connections with the Hatton Garden area in London. 'You foolishly agreed to assist him.' The judge added: 'You agreed to assist Mr Sheen without any hope or expectation of a reward for yourself. 'You do things for people as favour without any expectation of reward for yourself. 'You no doubt, for the last five-and-a-half years, regret doing for James Sheen every day since your arrest.' The toilet was stolen during a five-minute 'audacious raid' by sledgehammer-wielding thieves who smashed their way in, the prosecution said. The toilet artwork, entitled America, weighed approximately 98 kilograms, was insured for six million US dollars (£4.75 million) and was made from gold which was itself worth about £2.8 million. The thieves drove through locked wooden gates into the grounds of the palace before breaking in through a window. The judge said he took account of the character references which spoke of Doe's 'kind, caring and selfless nature', as well as the impact that going to prison would have on his family of four children aged under 15 and his wife's ongoing health problems. Earlier, defence counsel Crispin Aylett KC told the court of the 'wealth' of character references that had been given on Doe's behalf. They included one from a magistrate who said: 'Sadly, he has some relationships with others who have taken advantage of his good nature.' Doe coaches underprivileged young athletes at the Sporting Ring boxing club and it might have to close if he were jailed as there are no other coaches with the necessary qualification levels, the court heard. During mitigation, Mr Aylett also said Doe's wife had a complex medical procedure during the trial and still needs tests to find out the state of her condition. Jurors heard Sheen first got in touch with Doe on September 16 2019 – two days after the raid at Blenheim Palace – asking if Doe could help him sell some of the gold. Doe replied to Sheen in a WhatsApp message: 'I do know just the man you need to see.' He also told Sheen he could 'sell the gold in a second'. Doe told the court he had 'never had any indication at any time that the gold was stolen' and would have 'never in a million years' helped sell stolen gold. The pair arranged to meet on September 23 2019 in Hatton Garden to see the owner of Pacha of London Jewellery, Bora Guccuk. Doe said he had been passionate about watches since childhood, which led him to develop contacts with jewellers at Hatton Garden in London. It is believed Sheen took the 20 kilograms of gold from the toilet artwork to Birmingham Jewellery Quarter on September 27 2019 and sold it for £26,000 a kilogram – pocketing a total of £520,000, the jury trial heard. Doe hugged friends and family and punched the air as he left court and said he had been taken advantage of by those who stole the gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. Speaking outside court, Doe told the PA news agency: 'My good nature has been taken advantage of. 'I got caught up in something I should not have and now I just want to go home and enjoy my family. I am a good person.' He left in a car surrounded by a group of friends, who shouted 'he is a good person' and said they would be going for a drink to celebrate. In March, Michael Jones, 39, was found guilty of burglary after a trial in which the jury found Mr Guccuk, 41, from west London, not guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, had pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property, the court has previously heard. Jones and Sheen are to be sentenced at a later date.
