Who would steal a toilet? That might be the question on your mind until you find out the commode was made entirely of gold.
Frederick Doe, 37, was found guilty in the case of the stolen golden toilet. The heist took place during an exhibition in 2019 when a fully functioning 18-carat gold toilet was robbed from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
The toilet, an artwork titled "America" by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was reportedly valued at a staggering £4.75 million. It was one of the star attractions at the exhibition held inside the palace, an 18th-century estate famously known as the birthplace of Winston Churchill.
The theft occurred in the early hours of 14 September 2019.
On Monday, Oxford Crown Court issued a 21-month sentence to Doe, along with a 240-hour unpaid service order. The court remarked that Doe had been specifically on the radar for his connections to the jewellery trade.
In court, it was revealed earlier that Doe, who also goes by the name Frederick Sines, had played a key role in helping James Sheen sell some of the stolen gold shortly after the theft.
According to reports, Michael Jones from Oxford was the co-accused in the case. Both Sheen and Jones will be sentenced next month.
