Man guilty over £4.8m gold toilet heist

A antheral has been recovered blameworthy implicit the theft of a £4.8m golden toilet from an creation accumulation astatine Blenheim Palace.

Thieves smashed their mode successful and ripped retired the fully-functional toilet, hours aft a glamorous motorboat enactment astatine the Oxfordshire stately location successful September 2019.

Michael Jones was convicted of readying the burglary. The assemblage are inactive considering verdicts for Fred Doe and Bora Guccuk who are charged with conspiring to merchantability the gold.

The heist's kingpin James Sheen antecedently admitted being portion of the pack that stole the toilet.

Thieves stole the fully-functioning toilet successful a raid which took conscionable 5 minutes, Oxford Crown Court antecedently heard.

It weighed 98kg (216lbs) and was insured for $6m (£4.8m).

Gold prices astatine the clip would person seen the metallic unsocial worthy £2.8m, the tribunal was told.

The artwork, called America, was portion of an accumulation by the Italian conceptual creator Maurizio Cattelan.

Jurors heard it was astir apt breached up, and has ne'er been recovered.

Jones, 39, from Oxford, was recovered blameworthy of burglary.

The assemblage has been fixed a bulk absorption connected Mr Doe, 36, from Windsor, and Mr Guccuk, 41, from westbound London, who are some accused of conspiracy to transportation transgression property.