A UK man named Fred Doe was handed a 21-month suspended sentence for theft of 18 carat gold toilet valued at US $4.8 million. It was stolen from Blenheim Palace.
According to officials, Doe is the son of a millionaire caravan magnate. The 37-year-old tried to sell 10 kg of the gold. He was accompanied by a burglar who had stolen the toilet. The judge asserted that the Doe played a minor role in the theft. However, the convict is ordered to complete 240 hours of unpaid work.
“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,” he said, while referring to Doe’s role.
The Theft
The heist took place in September 2019, when five masked thieves, with sledgehammers and crowbars, attacked the area. They dismantled the gold toilet and ran away from the crime scene, in unregistered vehicles. The incident lasted five minutes, caused severe damage to the historical palace due to leakage of the plumped in installation. The convicts include Michael Jones, 39, and Bora Guccuk, 41, and James Sheen, 40. Another burglar, who had enlisted Doe’s help to sell the gold, had already pleaded guilty to burglary.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Sheen contacted Doe to sell the gold. They used code language, referring to cars, and being offered ’26 and a half’. The officials decoded it by £26,500 per kilo of gold.
About the toilet
The 18 carat toilet is popularly known as ‘America’. The artwork was created by Maurizio Cattelan, who is a well-known Italian visual artist. He structures hyper realistic sculptures and installations. The eccentric artwork was created in 2016 for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. It was installed in the museum toilets, along with the other toilets used by the visitors.
