20 hours Ago By 9News
Tweet Facebook Mail A thief who swiped a golden toilet from an English palace was convicted Tuesday along with an accomplice who helped cash in on the spoils of the 18-carat work of art insured for nearly £5 million (more than $10.2 million). Michael Jones had used the fully functioning one-of-a-kind latrine as he did reconnaissance at Blenheim Palace – the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born – the day before the theft, prosecutors said.
He described the experience as "splendid." He returned before dawn on September 14, 2019, with at least two other men armed with sledgehammers and crowbars. They smashed a window and pried the toilet from its plumbing within five minutes, leaving a damaging flood in their wake as they escaped in stolen vehicles.
READ MORE: Stranded astronauts taste first fresh air in nine months An 18-carat gold toilet was stolen from an English palace. (AP) "This was an audacious raid which had been carefully planned and executed," prosecutor Shan Saunders said. "But those responsible were not careful enough, leaving a trail of evidence in the form of forensics, CCTV footage and phone data.
" The purloined potty has never been recovered but is believed to have been cut up and sold. The satirical work, titled "America" by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, poked fun at excessive wealth. It weighed just over 98 kilograms.
The value of the gold at the time was £2.8 million ($5.72 million).
READ MORE: Prince Harry's visa records to be made public amid claims about drug use CCTV footage shown in court purports to show the theft of the golden toilet from Blenheim Palace in the UK. (Supplied) The piece had previously been on display at The Guggenheim Museum in New York. The museum had offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting.
Jones, 39, was convicted of burglary in Oxford Crown Court. The theft was planned by James Sheen, 40, who previously pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property. Sheen then worked to broker a deal with Fred Doe to cash in on the haul, prosecutors said.
In a series of text messages, Sheen referred to the loot as a "car," but he was actually talking about the gold. READ MORE: 'Blood and treasure': Inside the Trump-Putin phone call Australia making 'little progress' in returning looted Nazi art View Gallery "I'll link up with ya, I got something right up your path," Sheen told Doe in one message. "I can sell that car for you in two seconds .
.. so come and see me tomorrow," Doe said in a reply.
Doe, 36, also known as Frederick Sines, was convicted of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. A fourth man charged in the conspiracy, Bora Guccuk, 41, was acquitted by jurors. DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP : Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone.
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