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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.
Times
19-05-2025
- Times
Middleman avoids jail for Blenheim Palace golden toilet theft plot
The 'foolish' middleman in a plot to steal an 18-carat, £4.75 million golden toilet from Blenheim Palace has escaped a prison sentence. A gang ripped the lavatory, which was fully plumbed in as part of an art exhibition, from the wall of the Oxfordshire stately home with sledgehammers and a crowbar during the early morning raid in 2019. Fred Doe, 37, a watch dealer also known as Fred Sines, was contacted by one of the robbers, Jimmy Sheen, 40, and asked to sell some of the gold through his Hatton Garden jewellery quarter connections. Doe was found guilty earlier this year of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property. Doe insisted at his trial in March at Oxford crown court he had no idea the
The Independent
19-05-2025
- The Independent
Man who tried to sell $6.4m gold toilet stolen from English country house is spared jail
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, titled 'America,' 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. 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 U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. The theft of the toilet — which has never been recovered and is believed to have been cut up and sold — caused 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. Of the group who smashed a window to get into the palace before dawn on Sept. 14, 2019, only two have been charged and convicted. James Sheen, 40, previously pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property. Michael Jones, 39, was convicted of burglary at the trial where Doe was convicted. Sheen and Jones will be sentenced June 13. Doe punched his fist in the air as he emerged from court, saying he was a good person who 'got caught up in something I should not have.' The judge said Sheen approached Doe because he had contacts in London's jewelry district. In a WhatsApp message, Doe told Sheen he could 'sell the gold in a second." Doe said he had no idea the gold was looted and wouldn't have sold stolen gold 'in a million years.' Doe, who was convicted of conspiracy to transfer criminal property, was given a two-year suspended term and ordered to perform 240 hours of unpaid work. 'You agreed to assist Mr. Sheen without any hope or expectation of a reward for yourself," the judge said. 'You no doubt, for the last five-and-a-half years, regret doing (that) for James Sheen every day since your arrest.'
CTV News
19-05-2025
- CTV News
Man who tried to sell US$6.4M gold toilet stolen from English country house is spared jail
LONDON — A man who tried to help a burglar cash in from the theft of a golden toilet worth £4.74 million (US$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, titled 'America,' by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, which aimed to poke fun at excessive wealth. It 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 nearly 5 million pounds. The piece had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York,, which had offered the work to U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. The theft of the toilet — which has never been recovered and is believed to have been cut up and sold — caused 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. Of the group who smashed a window to get into the palace before dawn on Sept. 14, 2019, only two have been charged and convicted. James Sheen, 40, previously pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property. Michael Jones, 39, was convicted of burglary at the trial where Doe was convicted. Sheen and Jones will be sentenced June 13. Doe punched his fist in the air as he emerged from court, saying he was a good person who 'got caught up in something I should not have.' The judge said Sheen approached Doe because he had contacts in London's jewelry district. In a WhatsApp message, Doe told Sheen he could 'sell the gold in a second.' Doe said he had no idea the gold was looted and wouldn't have sold stolen gold 'in a million years.' Doe, who was convicted of conspiracy to transfer criminal property, was given a two-year suspended term and ordered to perform 240 hours of unpaid work. 'You agreed to assist Mr. Sheen without any hope or expectation of a reward for yourself,' the judge said. 'You no doubt, for the last five-and-a-half years, regret doing (that) for James Sheen every day since your arrest.' Brian Melley, The Associated Press
National Post
19-05-2025
- National Post
Man who tried to sell stolen US$6.4M gold toilet spared jail
LONDON (AP) — A man who tried to help a burglar cash in from the theft of a golden toilet worth £4.74 million (US$6.4 million) was spared jail on Monday after a British judge said he had been taken advantage of by the thieves. Article content Article content 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. Article content '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.' Article content Article content The toilet was part of a satirical art installation, titled 'America,' by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, which aimed to poke fun at excessive wealth. It 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 nearly 5 million pounds. Article content The piece had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum, in New York,, which had offered the work to U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting. Article content The theft of the toilet — which has never been recovered and is believed to have been cut up and sold — caused 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. Article content Article content Of the group who smashed a window to get into the palace before dawn on Sept. 14, 2019, only two have been charged and convicted. Article content Article content James Sheen, 40, previously pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property. Michael Jones, 39, was convicted of burglary at the trial where Doe was convicted. Sheen and Jones will be sentenced June 13. Article content Doe punched his fist in the air as he emerged from court, saying he was a good person who 'got caught up in something I should not have.' Article content The judge said Sheen approached Doe because he had contacts in London's jewelry district. Article content In a WhatsApp message, Doe told Sheen he could 'sell the gold in a second.' Doe said he had no idea the gold was looted and wouldn't have sold stolen gold 'in a million years.' Article content Doe, who was convicted of conspiracy to transfer criminal property, was given a two-year suspended term and ordered to perform 240 hours of unpaid work. Article content 'You agreed to assist Mr. Sheen without any hope or expectation of a reward for yourself,' the judge said. 'You no doubt, for the last five-and-a-half years, regret doing (that) for James Sheen every day since your arrest.' Article content
