'No evidence' man knew gold was stolen, jury told

The solid gold toilet disappeared from Blenheim Palace in 2019

There is no evidence a man on trial in connection with the theft of a £4.8m golden toilet knew the gold he was dealing with was stolen, a jury has been told.

The 18-carat, fully-functional toilet was part of an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, when it was taken in the early hours of 14 September 2019.

Bora Guccuk, a gold dealer from west London, denies one charge of conspiring to transfer criminal property.

The prosecution said the 41-year-old's decision not to give evidence meant he failed to answer a number of questions, including what the gold looked like when it was delivered to his jewellers in Hatton Garden.

James Sheen, 40, from Oxford, has pleaded guilty to burglary and attempting to sell some of the stolen gold.

In his closing statement, Mr Guccuk's barrister, Kevin Dent KC, asked the jury: "What clear evidence is there that Mr Guccuk did anything wrong or criminal?"

He said what his client had done, when Sheen visited his shop, was "ordinary business".

"There is no evidence there was anything suspicious about the gold itself," he said.

The prosecution has previously said Mr Guccuk must have known where the gold came from, as he had agreed a price without having seen it.

The toilet was part of an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace

Two days after going on display at the Oxfordshire stately home, the golden toilet was stolen, in what the court heard was an "audacious raid".

Jurors were told the toilet was most likely broken up and has never been recovered.

Mr Guccuk, along with 36-year-old Fred Doe from Windsor, deny conspiracy to transfer criminal property.

Michael Jones, 39, from Oxford, denies one count of burglary.