Latest news with #goldtoilet
The Sun
19-05-2025
- The Sun
Jeweller who tried to sell £4.8MILLION gold toilet stolen in stately home ram raid dodges jail due to his ‘good nature'
A MAN who tried to sell a £4.8million gold toilet stolen from a stately home dodged jail due to his 'good nature'. Jeweller Frederick Doe, 37, got caught up in the heist after a ram-raid on Blenheim Palace in 2019. 3 The audacious theft saw the loo — installed as an artwork called America — taken from Winston Churchill's Oxfordshire birthplace in just five minutes. Doe facilitated the attempted sale of the gold to dealer Bora Guccuk — who was cleared of knowing it was stolen — in London's Hatton Garden. The deal didn't go ahead and none of the gold has been recovered. Doe, also known as Fred Sines, admitted using the code word 'cars' for the gold bars but said he didn't know it was stolen. He celebrated with his family after avoiding jail. He told the trial at Oxford crown court: 'To me, gold is gold. I don't know good gold from bad.' Doe, who said he had not expected to profit from the sale, was found guilty in March of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Judge Ian Pringle KC yesterday accepted that the businessman, of Windsor, Berks, was of previous good character. He sentenced him to 21 months' jail — suspended for two years — and 240 hours' unpaid work. The court heard that Doe was a dad of four whose wife is suffering from a severe but undiagnosed medical condition. He also runs a boxing club for underprivileged youngsters in his home town and was said to have had his good nature 'taken advantage of'. Two gang members will be sentenced for their parts in June. Guggenheim Museum gold toilet which was turned down by Donald Trump to be installed at Blenheim Palace 3
The Independent
19-05-2025
- The Independent
Man who ‘foolishly' agreed to help steal £4.75m gold toilet avoids jail time
A man involved in the plot to steal an 18-carat gold toilet, valued at £4.75 million, from Blenheim Palace has avoided prison after being given a suspended sentence. Frederick Doe, 37, acted as the middleman in the audacious theft of the art piece, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, from the birthplace of Winston Churchill. A gang of thieves broke into the Oxfordshire country house in the early hours of 14 September 2019, just hours after the toilet's glamorous unveiling as part of an exhibition. They ripped out the fully-functioning fixture, which was a star attraction. Mr Doe, also known as Frederick Sines, was found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property following a trial at Oxford Crown Court in March. He has received a 21-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 240 hours of unpaid work. The stolen toilet is believed to have been broken down or melted and sold shortly after the theft, and none of the gold has been recovered. In passing sentence, Judge Ian Pringle KC 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 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 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.' Speaking outside court, Frederick Doe said he had been taken advantage of by those who stole the gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. 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.
Sky News
19-05-2025
- Sky News
Man who tried to sell stolen £4.75m golden toilet from Blenheim Palace sentenced
A man involved in a plot to steal £4.75m gold toilet from the house where Sir Winston Churchill was born has been handed a suspended sentence. The fully functioning 18-carat gold artwork, titled America, was stolen from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire during the early hours of 14 September 2019. In March, Frederick Doe, 36, was found guilty of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property. On Monday at Oxford Crown Court, Judge Ian Pringle KC sentenced Doe to 21 months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered him to do 240 hours unpaid work. A court previously heard how Doe, also known as Frederick Sines, from Windsor in Berkshire, helped mastermind James Sheen sell some of the gold in the weeks after the theft. Sheen, from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, had earlier pleaded guilty to burglary. He also admitted conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property at Oxford Crown Court in April 2024. Co-accused Michael Jones, from Oxford, had denied any wrongdoing, but was found guilty of burglary at the time of Doe's conviction. Speaking outside court, Doe said he had been taken advantage of by those who stole the toilet. "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 told the PA news agency. He left court 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. Both Sheen and Jones will be sentenced next month. How the theft unfolded During court proceedings, Prosecutor Julian Christopher KC said five men carried out the raid; however, only Jones and Sheen have been caught. Sheen and his accomplices drove two stolen vehicles, a VW Golf and an Isuzu truck, through locked gates at Blenheim Palace shortly before 5am on the night of the raid. Thames Valley Police said three men armed with sledgehammers and a crowbar gained entry to the palace, smashed through the solid wooden door and tore the toilet from its fixings. The carefully planned raid was over within five minutes. The gold was believed to be worth about £2.8m at the time of the theft. 1:13 However, the artwork, which weighed around 98kg, had been insured for the price of £4.75m. A couple of days after the burglary, Sheen contacted Doe 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 (CPS) argued referred to the men getting £26,500 per kilo of the stolen gold. Jones, who had visited the stately home twice in the days before the raid, was arrested on 16 October 2019 before officers analysed his phone. The force found he had searched for news reports about the stolen toilet on 20 September 2019. Meanwhile, 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. The sculpture, which was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was the star attraction of an exhibition at the country house before it was stolen. It could be used as a toilet by members of the public, with Jones telling the jury he took advantage of the artwork's "facilities" during a visit to Blenheim Palace the day before it was taken. Asked what it was like, he replied: "Splendid."
Sky News
19-05-2025
- Sky News
Man involved in plot to steal £4.75m gold toilet from Blenheim Palace sentenced
A man involved in a plot to steal £4.75m gold toilet from the house where Sir Winston Churchill was born has been handed a suspended sentence. The fully functioning 18-carat gold artwork, titled America, was stolen from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire during the early hours of 14 September 2019. In March, Frederick Doe, 36, was found guilty of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property. On Monday at Oxford Crown Court, Judge Ian Pringle KC sentenced Doe to 21 months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered him to do 240 hours unpaid work. A court previously heard how Doe, also known as Frederick Sines, from Windsor in Berkshire, helped mastermind James Sheen sell some of the gold in the weeks after the theft. Sheen, from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, had earlier pleaded guilty to burglary. He also admitted conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property at Oxford Crown Court in April 2024. Co-accused Michael Jones, from Oxford, had denied any wrongdoing, but was found guilty of burglary at the time of Doe's conviction. Speaking outside court, Doe said he had been taken advantage of by those who stole the toilet. "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 told the PA news agency. He left court 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. Both Sheen and Jones will be sentenced next month. How the theft unfolded During court proceedings, Prosecutor Julian Christopher KC said five men carried out the raid; however, only Jones and Sheen have been caught. Sheen and his accomplices drove two stolen vehicles, a VW Golf and an Isuzu truck, through locked gates at Blenheim Palace shortly before 5am on the night of the raid. Thames Valley Police said three men armed with sledgehammers and a crowbar gained entry to the palace, smashed through the solid wooden door and tore the toilet from its fixings. The carefully planned raid was over within five minutes. The gold was believed to be worth about £2.8m at the time of the theft. 1:13 However, the artwork, which weighed around 98kg, had been insured for the price of £4.75m. A couple of days after the burglary, Sheen contacted Doe 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 (CPS) argued referred to the men getting £26,500 per kilo of the stolen gold. Jones, who had visited the stately home twice in the days before the raid, was arrested on 16 October 2019 before officers analysed his phone. The force found he had searched for news reports about the stolen toilet on 20 September 2019. Meanwhile, 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. The sculpture, which was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was the star attraction of an exhibition at the country house before it was stolen. It could be used as a toilet by members of the public, with Jones telling the jury he took advantage of the artwork's "facilities" during a visit to Blenheim Palace the day before it was taken. Asked what it was like, he replied: "Splendid."
