Four men charged over theft of a £5,000,000 solid gold toilet from Blenheim Palace
Four men have been charged over the theft of a golden toilet from Blenheim Palace – more than four years on after it vanished.
The tale of how the art installation was stolen and never again found dates all the way back to September 14, 2019.
Police said a gang broke into the home in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The 18-carat working loo – entitled America – was ripped from an wood-panelled room in a rush, causing ‘significant damage and flooding’.
At the time of the raid, it was valued at £4.8m and a reward of up to £100,000 was offered by insurers.
Police have been investigating the audacious overnight theft since then – arresting numerous people – but until now, never charged anyone over it.
A file of evidence was provided by Thames Valley Police to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised prosecution of four defendants today.
A spokesperson for the CPS said: ‘James Sheen,39, 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, 38, has been charged with one count of burglary.
‘Fred Doe, 35, and Bora Guccuk, 39, have both been charged with one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.’
They will all appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on November 28.
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