The gold toilet, which the Guggenheim Museum had previously linked to the career of U.S. President Donald Trump, had only recently been installed as an art exhibit at the Oxfordshire estate in September 2019 before it was stolen.
On Monday, Oxford Crown Court was told that the burglary was a highly coordinated operation that required significant planning.
Julian Christopher KC, the prosecuting lawyer, characterized the theft as a “carefully planned” crime that “would not have been possible without lots of preparation.” He added, “The burglary was carefully planned and swiftly carried out.”
Detailing the events, he stated, “The men, five of them it appears, drove through locked wooden gates into the grounds of Blenheim Palace shortly before 5am in two stolen vehicles, an Isuzu truck and a VW Golf.”
“They drove across a field, up to the front steps and smashed and broke in through a window.”
“They knew precisely where to go, broke down the wooden door to the cubicle where the toilet was fully plumbed in, removed it, leaving water pouring out of the pipes, and drove away…All in all, they spent just five minutes in the building,” he said.
The court also heard that sledgehammers used in the burglary were left behind at the scene.
‘Golden Lavatory’: Who stole it?
Michael Jones, 39, from Oxford, Frederick Sines, 36, also known as Frederick Doe, from Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, and Bora Guccuk, 41, have been accused of stealing the artwork. Another individual, James Sheen, has also been identified in connection with the heist.
When entering his plea in January, Jones denied stealing the artwork during the overnight raid in the early hours of September 14, 2019.
Sines and Guccuk have also pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
However, the prosecution claims that Jones took a photograph of the artwork a day before the theft “as part of the reconnaissance for the burglary.”
Prosecutor Julian Christopher stated, “The work of art was never recovered. It appears to have been split up into smaller amounts of gold and never recovered.”
It is further alleged that Sines and Guccuk worked with one of the burglars, James Sheen, to sell off some of the stolen gold in the weeks following the theft.
Jurors were informed that Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, pleaded guilty in April 2024 at Oxford Crown Court to burglary, conspiracy to transfer criminal property, and one count of transferring criminal property.
