Four men charged over Blenheim Palace gold toilet theft
- Published
The solid gold toilet disappeared from Blenheim Palace in September 2019
Four men have been charged over the theft of an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace in 2019.
The £5m lavatory was stolen from the stately home in Oxfordshire shortly before 05:00 BST on 14 September.
Michael Jones, 38, of Oxford, and James Sheen, 39, face burglary charges. Frederick Sines, 35, of Ascot, and Bora Guccuk, 39, from London, are accused of conspiring to transfer criminal property.
They are due to appear before Oxford magistrates on 28 November.
Mr Sheen, from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, is additionally charged with transferring criminal property and conspiracy to do the same.
The 18-carat golden toilet was fully functioning
Entitled America, the toilet was part of an exhibition by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan and valued at $6m (£4.8m).
The loo, which could be used for its intended purpose - with a three-minute time limit to avoid queues - had only been on show for two days when it was stolen.
As it was plumbed in at the time, the heist caused flooding and damage to the 18th Century stately home in Woodstock.
The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, external, X, external, or Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, external.