Latest news with #OxfordCrownCourt
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Man involved in £4.75m Blenheim Palace gold toilet burglary learns his fate
A man who was involved in the theft and sale of a multi-million pound gold toilet from Blenheim Palace has avoided 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 £4.75 million gold toilet had been created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and was a star attraction in an exhibition when it was nicked. Oxford Crown Court was told the distinctive item has been split up and disposed of for its gold. Today, Frederick Doe, 36, also known as Frederick Sines, was handed a suspended sentence at Oxford Crown Court. He was found guilty after he helped burglar 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 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. Doe helped one of the men who pleaded guilty to carrying out the burglary, James Sheen, to sell some of the gold in the following weeks, the court heard. The judge said Doe had been of previous good character and accepted that the conspirators may have taken advantage of his good nature. He said Doe was 'targeted' for his legitimate contacts in the Hatton Garden jewellery district. He went on trial alongside Michael Jones, 39, and Bora Guccuk, 41. James Sheen, 40, had already pleaded guilty to burglary. Sheen also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property, at Oxford Crown Court in April 2024. The trial was told Jones visited the palace twice before the theft, but denied these were reconnaissance trips. He previously 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.' The court previously heard 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. While Sheen was one of the masterminds behind the burglary, Jones, 39, played his part by carrying out a reconnaissance visit at the palace in the days prior to the theft and was present on the night the toilet was stolen. As put to Jones at trial by prosecutors, on his first visit ahead of the art exhibition opening he took photos from inside the building of the window that the thieves would use to enter the palace. The day before the raid he took photos of the toilet itself, the lock on the toilet door and further pictures of the same window from the outside. A couple of days after the burglary, Sheen contacted Fred Doe, 36, about selling the gold. Through coded messages, the two men talked about 'cars' and getting offered '26 and a half' – which the Crown Prosecution Service said alluded to the men getting £26,500 per kilo of the stolen gold. Sheen's DNA was found both on a sledgehammer left at the scene and in the stolen Isuzu truck used in the raid. Tracksuit bottoms seized at his home had hundreds of gold fragments on them, which when analysed were indistinguishable from the gold from which the toilet was made. Jones 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, jurors were told previously. He was found guilty of burglary by the jury. The same jury found Bora Guccuk, 41, from west London, not guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Jones and Sheen are set to be sentenced at a later date. Senior Crown Prosecutor Shan Saunders said: 'This was an audacious raid which had been carefully planned and executed – but those responsible were not careful enough, leaving a trail of evidence in the form of forensics, CCTV footage and phone data. 'While none of the gold was ever recovered – no doubt having been broken up or melted down and sold on soon after it was stolen – we are confident this prosecution has played a part in disrupting a wider crime and money laundering network.' Speaking outside Oxford Crown Court following the verdicts, Detective Superintendent Bruce Riddell said: 'As part of the investigation a number of other arrests were made but further charges could not be brought and it is clear that there are others who were involved in this crime. 'If anyone has information that they have not already come forward with in relation to the burglary or the sale of the gold, then we would encourage them to get in touch with Thames Valley Police or Crimestoppers.' Blenheim Palace said in a statement: 'We are extremely pleased that, five years after the theft of Maurizio Cattelan's artwork America, three individuals have been brought to justice. 'We would like to thank Thames Valley Police for their tireless work on this case and the highly professional way they have conducted their investigation into the theft from Blenheim Palace.'
Express Tribune
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
UN judge Lydia Mugambe jailed for enslaving Ugandan woman in UK
Listen to article United Nations judge Lydia Mugambe has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison by Oxford Crown Court for forcing a Ugandan woman into domestic servitude while studying in the UK. Mugambe, 50, a High Court judge in Uganda and PhD student at the University of Oxford, was convicted in March on multiple charges: conspiracy to facilitate a breach of UK immigration law, facilitating travel for exploitation, forced labour, and witness intimidation. The court heard that Mugambe tricked the woman—who had previously worked in her Ugandan household—into traveling to the UK under the false promise of legitimate work. Instead, she was made to work unpaid as a maid and nanny in Mugambe's Oxfordshire home, while being denied employment rights and subjected to coercion. Judge David Foxton said Mugambe showed 'absolutely no remorse' and used her status to exploit her victim, who lived in "constant fear." The woman, whose identity is protected, said in a statement she fears returning to Uganda due to Mugambe's influence. Mugambe also conspired with Uganda's former deputy high commissioner to the UK, John Mugerwa, who arranged the woman's visa under false pretenses. Prosecutors said Mugambe offered legal help in a separate Ugandan court case involving Mugerwa in return for his assistance. He was not charged due to diplomatic immunity. Bodycam footage from her arrest showed Mugambe claiming she had diplomatic immunity and was 'not a criminal.' The University of Oxford said it is initiating disciplinary proceedings. Police praised the victim's courage and urged other modern slavery victims to come forward.
Telegraph
17-03-2025
- Telegraph
Golden toilet heist ‘not a bog-standard burglary', says judge
The theft of a £5 million golden toilet was 'not a bog-standard burglary', a judge said. Judge Ian Pringle was met with laughs in court as he summarised a four-week trial into the theft of an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. Maurizio Cattelan's artwork 'America' was stripped from the stately home by sledgehammer-wielding burglars in the early hours of Sept 14 2019. Michael Jones, 39, charged with one count of burglary, previously told Oxford Crown Court he thought the 98kg toilet was 'splendid' when he used it the day before it was stolen in a five-minute raid. As he summarised the case, Judge Pringle said: 'Despite all the evidence you may all agree about one thing – this was not a bog-standard burglary. 'It was an audacious heist on one of the most famous palaces in this country.' Judge Pringle told the court two vehicles entered the Blenheim estate through a closed, but not locked, wooden gate. They then drove over the fields to the palace, he said. 'The first vehicle was a light truck with some heavier front of the vehicle, and it managed to push open those gates, which weren't locked but just shut,' Judge Pringle said. After parking in front of the palace, men 'in disguise' got out armed with sledgehammers and crowbars. They smashed the window to the right of the palace front entrance and walked in. He added: 'They proceeded, very swiftly, to unplug 'America' which we know was a gold toilet that was functioning. They left the pipes gushing out water.' One of the vehicles was abandoned outside the entrance as the group fled the scene, and the toilet was never seen again. Judge Pringle said the 'bold, brazen burglary' had 'great rewards for those who vanished'. The artwork, believed to have been broken up after it was stolen, was insured for $6 million (£4.75 million) and its gold content was worth about £2.8 million. The day before the lavatory was stolen, Mr Jones spent 90 minutes at the palace with a woman, the court heard. Several photographs were taken of artworks, high-value vehicles, a poster advertising the lavatory exhibition and a view from the window that was later smashed in the theft, the judge was told. Mr Jones, 39, from Oxford, denies burglary. Frederick Doe, 36, and Bora Guccuk, 41, each deny one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. The jury members are expected to retire to consider their verdicts. The trial continues.
Russia Today
14-03-2025
- Russia Today
UN judge convicted in slavery trial (VIDEO)
A judge for the UN and Ugandan High Court has been found guilty in the UK of forcing a young woman into slavery. The verdict was delivered on Thursday by the Oxford Crown Court. Prosecutors argued that Lydia Mugambe deceived the victim into traveling from Uganda to the UK under the pretense of legitimate employment. Upon arrival, the woman was compelled to work without pay as a maid and to provide childcare services. Mugambe confiscated her passport and visa, restricting her freedom and ability to seek help. The jury convicted Mugambe on counts including breaching UK immigration law, facilitating travel for exploitation, forced labor, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness. 'Lydia Mugambe has exploited and abused [alleged victim], taking advantage of her lack of understanding of her rights to properly paid employment and deceiving her as to the purpose of her coming to the UK,' Caroline Haughey KC, the prosecuting lawyer, stated during the trial. The defendant denied coercing her victim into performing household chores, asserting that she had 'always' treated her with love, care, and patience. However, the young woman, whose identity remains protected for legal reasons, testified in court that she felt 'lonely' and trapped after coming to the UK, as her working hours elsewhere were restricted. Mugambe attempted to claim diplomatic immunity during her arrest, citing her positions as a judge in Uganda and at the UN. However, the UN waived any immunity she might have had, allowing the legal proceedings to continue. Lydia Mugambe, a UN & Ugandan judge, has today been convicted of bringing a woman into the country illegally & then forcing her to work as a tried to evade justice by claiming she had diplomatic immunity, which has now been removed 🚫 👉 The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on May 2. Under UK law, modern slavery offenses carry severe penalties, with the maximum sentence being life imprisonment. According to her UN profile page, Mugambe was appointed to one of the global body's international courts in May 2023.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
UN judge studying at Oxford kept young woman as a slave
A United Nations judge studying at the University of Oxford 'exploited and abused' a young Ugandan woman she kept as a slave in Britain. Prosecutors said Lydia Mugambe, 49, took 'advantage of her status' over her victim by preventing her from holding down steady employment and forcing her to work as her maid. Oxford Crown Court had heard that Mugambe, who is also a High Court judge in Uganda, worked with John Leonard Mugerwa, the Ugandan deputy high commissioner, to arrange for the young woman to come to the UK. Mugambe was found guilty on Thursday of conspiring to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forcing someone to work, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness. Caroline Haughey KC, prosecuting, told jurors: 'On her arrival, she was made to work for Ms Mugambe from the very start, unremunerated and acting as maid and for child care to give Ms Mugambe back her life. 'Deprived of her freedom to choose her own work, to control her ID documents, she was beholden to Ms Mugambe.' Jurors accepted the prosecution's case that Mugambe – who was studying for a law PhD – had engaged in 'illegal folly' with Mr Mugerwa. Prosecutors said the pair took part in a 'very dishonest' trade-off, in which Mr Mugerwa arranged for the Ugandan High Commission to sponsor the woman's entrance into the UK in exchange for Mugambe attempting to speak to a judge who was in charge of legal action Mr Mugerwa was named in. Mugambe's trial heard she had the intention of 'obtaining someone to make her life easier and at the least possible cost to herself'. Mugambe denied forcing the young Ugandan woman to do household chores and said she 'always' treated her with love, care and patience. The young woman Mugambe tricked into coming to the UK, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court previously she felt 'lonely' and 'stuck' after her working hours were limited. According to her UN profile page, Mugambe was appointed to the body's judicial roster in May 2023 – three months after police were called to her address in Oxfordshire. She will be sentenced at a later date. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
