Four men are facing charges for stealing an 18-carat gold toilet from an English country house in 2019, as announced by judicial sources on Monday. The toilet, valued at £4.8 million (approximately $5.9 million), was taken from Blenheim Palace in Woodstock near Oxford in southern England in September 2019. This piece was a major attraction as part of an exhibition by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan in the palace, which has been home to the Dukes of Marlborough and was the birthplace of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. This luxurious residence, dating back to the 18th century, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which decides whether cases should be brought to court in England and Wales, stated that the four men, aged between 35 and 39, will appear in court in Oxford on November 28. James Sheen (39) faces two charges of burglary and conspiracy to transfer property criminally, as well as another charge of transferring property criminally. Michael Jones (38) faces a burglary charge, while Fred Duh (35) and Bora Gokok (39) are charged with conspiracy to transfer property criminally, according to a statement from the judicial police.
Visitors were able to book appointments to use the valuable gold toilet, but only for three minutes at a time to limit wait times. Over 100,000 people used this toilet during the year it was on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. At the time, British police reported that the thieves broke into Blenheim Palace during closing hours to steal the toilet, disconnecting it from the sewage system and causing "significant damage and a flood of water."
