A middle-aged man, from Oxford, has been found guilty of planning the 2019 burglary of a solid gold toilet from Blenheim Palace.
Photo: Dreamstime.
Michael Jones, 39, denied the charge but was convicted by a jury after a trial lasting several weeks. The stolen artwork, titled "America" by Maurizio Cattelan, had been installed at the Oxfordshire estate of the Duke of Marlborough as part of an exhibition. CCTV footage presented in court showed five thieves using sledgehammers to break into the palace before escaping in two vehicles.
Two other men, Bora Guccuk, 41, from West London, and Fred Doe, 36, from Windsor, have denied conspiracy to transfer criminal property, with the jury still deliberating their verdicts. A fourth man, James Sheen, 40, from Oxford, previously admitted to burglary and converting gold.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that the toilet, valued at several million pounds, was likely 'split up into smaller amounts of gold"' and is now unrecoverable. Jones admitted visiting Blenheim Palace twice before the theft and even booked a slot to use the toilet, calling the experience "splendid."
Presiding Judge Pringle described the crime as "a bold and brazen burglary," stating, 'This was not a bog standard burglary – it was an audacious heist on one of the most famous palaces in this country.'
Source: www.kbbreview.com