‘Foolish’ multi-millionaire’s son avoids jail for trying to sell £4.75m gold toilet from Blenheim Palace
19 May 2025, 13:47 | Updated: 13 June 2025, 08:37
A man involved in the theft of a £4.75 million gold toilet in 2019 has avoided jail time with a suspended sentence.
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A man involved in a plot to steal a £4.75 million gold toilet from Blenheim Palace has been handed a suspended sentence.
The fully functional 18-carat solid gold toilet was artwork created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.
It was considered a star attraction in an exhibition, when it was stolen by thieves who smashed their way into the palace with sledgehammers. It was believed to be worth £2.8 million at the time of the theft.
The 'audacious raid' took place in less than five minutes.
On Monday, Frederick Doe managed to avoid prison time with 21 months imprisonment suspended for two years, alongside 240 hours of unpaid work.
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This is despite Doe being found guilty of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property in March.
He was sentenced by Judge Ian Pringle KC at Oxford Crown Court, who said: “Those responsible for this audacious heist – five individuals could be seen on CCTV – were clearly intent on disposing of their ill-gotten gains quickly."
The court previously heard how Doe, also known as Frederick Sines, from Windsor in Berkshire, helped mastermind James Sheen sell some of the gold in the weeks after the theft.
The judge added: “[Sheen] clearly knew you had business connections, legitimate business connections with the Hatton Garden area in London.
“You foolishly agreed to assist him...without any hope or expectation of a reward for yourself.“
Doe is the son of a multi-millionaire residential part owner, who is an associate of the Kinahan cartel - a major organised crime syndicates.
Speaking outside court, Doe said he had been taken advantage of by those who stole the toilet.
"My good nature has been taken advantage of. I got caught up in something I should not have and now I just want to go home and enjoy my family. I am a good person," he told the PA news agency.
He left court in a car surrounded by a group of friends, who shouted "he is a good person" and said they would be going for a drink to celebrate.
Sheen, from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, had earlier pleaded guilty to burglary.
He also admitted conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property at Oxford Crown Court in April 2024.
Co-accused Michael Jones, from Oxford, had denied any wrongdoing, but was found guilty of burglary at the time of Doe's conviction.
During court proceedings, Prosecutor Julian Christopher KC said five men carried out the raid; however, only Jones and Sheen have been caught.
Sheen and his accomplices drove two stolen vehicles, a VW Golf and an Isuzu truck, through locked gates at Blenheim Palace shortly before 5am on the night of the raid.
