Four men charged after solid gold toilet worth £4.8m stolen from Blenheim Palace
FOUR men have been charged after a solid gold toilet worth £4.8million was stolen from Blenheim Palace.
The 18-carat masterpiece was swiped just two days after going on display at Winston Churchill’s birthplace in Woodstock, Oxon.
Visitors were able to use the expensive toilet – once offered to Donald Trump – in three-minute slots.
Now James Sheen, Michael Jones, Fred Doe and Bora Guccuk, all in their thirties, have been charged over the theft.
It was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and proved popular when it went on display at the Guggenheim museum in New York in 2016.
The Duke of Marlborough’s half-brother and founder of the Blenheim Art Foundation Edward Spencer-Churchill previously told the Times: “Despite being born with a silver spoon in my mouth I have never had a s*** on a golden toilet, so I look forward to it.”
He also explained it “wouldn’t be the easiest thing to nick”, adding: “Firstly, it’s plumbed in and secondly, a potential thief will have no idea who last used the toilet or what they ate.
“So no, I don’t plan to be guarding it.”
A police spokesperson said: “Following an investigation by Thames Valley Police, four men have been charged in relation to a theft at Blenheim Palace.
“James Sheen, aged 39 (DOB: 16 July 1984) of Wellingborough, has been charged with one count of burglary, one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property.
“Michael Jones, aged 38 (DOB: 17 August 1985) of Oxford, has been charged with one count of burglary.
“Fred Doe, aged 35 (DOB 1 May 1988) of Ascot, and Bora Guccuk, aged 39 (DOB 5 January 1984), of West London, have both been charged with one count each of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
“The charges relate to the theft of a golden toilet from Blenheim Palace on 14 September 2019.
“The men will all appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on 28 November 2023.”
Blenheim Palace, the residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, is a country house located Near Woodstock, in Oxfordshire.
The palace, one of England’s largest houses, was built between 1705 and circa 1722 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
The palace is also notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill.
Following the palace’s completion, it became the home of the Churchill family for the next 300 years.