Thieves found guilty of stealing gold toilet

Unbe-loo-vible! This gold toilet was stolen by a gang of criminals back in 2019

A gang of criminals has been found guilty of stealing a £4.8m gold toilet.

The thieves stole the golden loo from an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace on 14 September 2019 before breaking it into smaller bits to sell.

Summing up the evidence in the trial Judge Ian Pringle KC said: "This was not a bog standard burglary – it was an audacious heist on one of the most famous palaces in this country.

"It was a bold and brazen burglary, with great rewards for anyone who got away with it."

The fully-functional golden toilet was stolen in about five minutes by the criminals and caused flooding damage after it was removed

The solid gold loo was an art piece made by Maurizio Cattelan called America, and it weighed 98kg and was insured for $6m (£4.8m).

Two days after it went on display, the thieves stole and broke it down to sell.

To this day the gold has not been fully recovered.

The gang's leader - James Sheen, 40 from Oxford - pleaded guilty to the theft last year, after his DNA was found at the crime scene.

Three other people connected to the robbery were tried in March this year.

Michael Jones, 39, from Oxford, was found guilty of planning the burglary. Fred Doe, 36, from Windsor, was convicted of planning to sell the gold, and another man named Bora Guccuk, 41 from West London, was cleared of the same charge.