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Express Tribune
15-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Two British men convicted for stealing $6 million golden toilet from Blenheim Palace
Two British men have been convicted for their roles in the high-profile theft of a solid gold toilet, stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019. The toilet, worth £4.8 million (approximately $6.5 million), was part of a contemporary art exhibit and fully operational at the time it was taken. James Sheen and Michael Jones were found guilty after years of investigation, with police relying on digital evidence and forensic traces. Sheen, identified as the mastermind behind the burglary, had left DNA at the scene and shared an image of £520,000 in a duffel bag via text—believed to be proceeds from the sale of the gold. Jones, who was arrested earlier in 2025, was also linked to the crime by selfies he took with the toilet prior to the theft. During the trial, he admitted to using the golden fixture and described it as a 'splendid' experience. The toilet was removed in under six minutes after they booked an advance visit to scout the exhibit. Investigators cited a wealth of digital material, including over 30,000 pages of evidence. Messages, images, and DNA traces on a sledgehammer and in a stolen getaway car solidified their case. Authorities praised the coordination involved in bringing the suspects to justice after several years. 'This wealth of evidence ultimately enabled us to secure their convictions,' an officer stated during the trial.
Gulf Today
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Two UK men jailed for $6m gold toilet heist
Two men who smashed their way into an historic English property and ripped out a £4.5 million ($6 million) solid-gold toilet were on Friday jailed for their part in the theft. James Sheen, 40, and Michael Jones, 39, were jailed at Oxford Crown Court in central England for four years and 27 months respectively. The sentences came as it was revealed that Sheen is already serving 19 years in jail for a string of other offences including a museum burglary and attacks on cash machines. The fully functioning 18-carat artwork was stolen in a raid on an exhibition at Blenheim Palace - the birthplace of Winston Churchill - near central Oxford in September 2019. The toilet artwork dubbed 'America' was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and had been on display as one of the star attractions at an exhibition in the 18th-century home. Passing sentence, Judge Ian Pringle said: 'This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete. 'America has never been seen again.' Weighing around 98 kilogrammes (216 pounds), the artwork was insured for $6 million and was made with 20 kilograms of gold valued at around £2.8 million. It was stolen just hours after a glamorous exhibition launch party by the sledgehammer-wielding thieves. Prosecutors said the work was likely broken up or melted down and sold soon after the theft. The gold has not been recovered. It is believed that Sheen took the 20 kilos of gold to the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter on September 2019 and sold it for £26,000 a kilogramme - earning £520,000. Jurors heard earlier that Sheen first got in touch with a third man, Frederick Doe, two days after the raid to ask if he 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.' The 37-year-old, described by a judge as a 'foolish' middleman, escaped jail for his role in the heist. He was handed a suspended sentenced last month after being found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Agence France-Presse
New York Times
14-06-2025
- New York Times
2 Men Are Sentenced in Theft of Golden Toilet
The tale of the stolen gold toilet has come to a close. Two men who stole an 18-carat commode from Blenheim Palace in England in 2019 were sentenced on Friday to two to four years in prison for their roles in the theft. The sentencing came after four men were accused of stealing or trying to sell the $6 million fully functioning toilet, an artwork titled 'America' by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, which was believed to have been chopped up so the gold could be sold. James Sheen, 44, described by prosecutors as the mastermind behind the theft, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to burglary, transferring criminal property and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. On Friday, he received a four-year sentence. Michael Jones, 39, was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Prosecutors said he made reconnaissance trips to Blenheim Palace near Oxford in advance of the theft. He was found guilty of burglary after a trial in March. 'This was an extraordinary case in many respects,' Shan Saunders, a solicitor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said in a statement. 'It is not every day that we prosecute high-value burglaries of stately homes, let alone the audacious theft of an 18-carat gold toilet.' Just as unusual, he added, was that despite the level of planning that went into the theft, 'the offenders left such a trail of evidence in their wake.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Advertiser
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Men jailed for stealing golden toilet from UK mansion
Two men who stole a golden toilet from an English mansion have been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was on display as a piece of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace - the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born - when five burglars smashed a window and yanked it from its plumbing in a brazen early-morning raid in September 2019. It was never recovered and was believed to have been chopped up and sold. James Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months. The toilet weighed 98kg and was worth more than its weight in gold, being insured for more than $US6 million ($A9.2 million). The toilet was part of a satirical commentary on consumer culture, titled America, by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $US6.2 million at auction in New York. "This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete," Judge Ian Pringle said in recounting the crime on Friday. "America has never been seen again." The piece that poked fun at excessive wealth had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York, which had offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Jones had booked a viewing of the toilet the day before the theft to take photos, check out the lock and have his own private session on the golden throne. He deemed the experience "splendid" during his testimony. The next morning before dawn the gang of thieves crashed through the wooden gates of the palace in two stolen vehicles and tore well-tended lawns. They pulled up to the estate's courtyard and smashed a window that Jones had photographed the day before. The thieves used sledgehammers and a crowbar to wrench the toilet from its foundation, causing considerable damage to the 18th-century property, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year. Two men who stole a golden toilet from an English mansion have been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was on display as a piece of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace - the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born - when five burglars smashed a window and yanked it from its plumbing in a brazen early-morning raid in September 2019. It was never recovered and was believed to have been chopped up and sold. James Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months. The toilet weighed 98kg and was worth more than its weight in gold, being insured for more than $US6 million ($A9.2 million). The toilet was part of a satirical commentary on consumer culture, titled America, by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $US6.2 million at auction in New York. "This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete," Judge Ian Pringle said in recounting the crime on Friday. "America has never been seen again." The piece that poked fun at excessive wealth had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York, which had offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Jones had booked a viewing of the toilet the day before the theft to take photos, check out the lock and have his own private session on the golden throne. He deemed the experience "splendid" during his testimony. The next morning before dawn the gang of thieves crashed through the wooden gates of the palace in two stolen vehicles and tore well-tended lawns. They pulled up to the estate's courtyard and smashed a window that Jones had photographed the day before. The thieves used sledgehammers and a crowbar to wrench the toilet from its foundation, causing considerable damage to the 18th-century property, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year. Two men who stole a golden toilet from an English mansion have been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was on display as a piece of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace - the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born - when five burglars smashed a window and yanked it from its plumbing in a brazen early-morning raid in September 2019. It was never recovered and was believed to have been chopped up and sold. James Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months. The toilet weighed 98kg and was worth more than its weight in gold, being insured for more than $US6 million ($A9.2 million). The toilet was part of a satirical commentary on consumer culture, titled America, by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $US6.2 million at auction in New York. "This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete," Judge Ian Pringle said in recounting the crime on Friday. "America has never been seen again." The piece that poked fun at excessive wealth had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York, which had offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Jones had booked a viewing of the toilet the day before the theft to take photos, check out the lock and have his own private session on the golden throne. He deemed the experience "splendid" during his testimony. The next morning before dawn the gang of thieves crashed through the wooden gates of the palace in two stolen vehicles and tore well-tended lawns. They pulled up to the estate's courtyard and smashed a window that Jones had photographed the day before. The thieves used sledgehammers and a crowbar to wrench the toilet from its foundation, causing considerable damage to the 18th-century property, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year. Two men who stole a golden toilet from an English mansion have been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was on display as a piece of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace - the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born - when five burglars smashed a window and yanked it from its plumbing in a brazen early-morning raid in September 2019. It was never recovered and was believed to have been chopped up and sold. James Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months. The toilet weighed 98kg and was worth more than its weight in gold, being insured for more than $US6 million ($A9.2 million). The toilet was part of a satirical commentary on consumer culture, titled America, by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose work of a banana duct-taped to a wall was sold in 2024 for $US6.2 million at auction in New York. "This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete," Judge Ian Pringle said in recounting the crime on Friday. "America has never been seen again." The piece that poked fun at excessive wealth had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York, which had offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Jones had booked a viewing of the toilet the day before the theft to take photos, check out the lock and have his own private session on the golden throne. He deemed the experience "splendid" during his testimony. The next morning before dawn the gang of thieves crashed through the wooden gates of the palace in two stolen vehicles and tore well-tended lawns. They pulled up to the estate's courtyard and smashed a window that Jones had photographed the day before. The thieves used sledgehammers and a crowbar to wrench the toilet from its foundation, causing considerable damage to the 18th-century property, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year.
Malay Mail
14-06-2025
- Malay Mail
Luxury loo larceny: Two men jailed for ‘bold and brazen' US$6m gold toilet heist at Churchill's birthplace
LONDON, June 14 — Two men were jailed yesterday for stealing an 18-carat golden toilet that had been on display as an artwork in an exhibition at Winston Churchill's birthplace. The fully functioning toilet, a work titled America by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was stolen from the Churchill family seat of Blenheim Palace in southern England, a major tourist attraction and Unesco World Heritage Site. Prosecutor Julian Christopher told jurors at the start of the trial at Oxford Crown Court in February that a group of five men had driven two stolen vehicles through locked wooden gates into the palace grounds before dawn on September 14, 2019. 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 US$6 million (RM25 million). Prosecutors say it was probably divided into smaller amounts of gold to sell it off. None of the gold has ever been recovered. James Sheen, 40, had pleaded guilty before trial to burglary, conspiring to convert or transfer the gold and converting or transferring the gold. Michael Jones, 39, was found guilty of burglary by a jury, having pleaded not guilty. Judge Ian Pringle said the pair had played important roles in the 'bold and brazen heist', though the judge said he could not be sure that Jones was present during the burglary. Sheen was sentenced to four years in jail, with the sentence to begin at the end of a separate jail term of nearly 20 years he is currently serving for a series of thefts. Jones was sentenced to 27 months in prison. — Reuters
