Two men who stole £4.75 million gold toilet from house where Churchill was born jailed for more than six years
13 June 2025, 16:43
A pair of men who helped steal a £4.75 million gold toilet from Blenheim Palace have been jailed for a combined total of six years and three months.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
James Sheen, 40, and Michael Jones, 39, have been jailed at Oxford Crown Court for their roles in the theft of the gold toilet, receiving a four-year prison sentence and a 27-month prison sentence respectively.
The two were involved in a the theft of a fully functional 18-carat solid gold toilet, made as a piece of art 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 in 2019.
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.
Read more: Samurai sword killer of boy, 14, 'screamed in delight' during rampage
Oxford Crown Court heard James Sheen was already serving over 19 years' imprisonment for attacks on cash machines, a museum burglary and fraud and was not due for release until 2032.
But the judge said the sentence he passes will be consecutive, which means he will remain in jail for four years after 2032.
Sheen has pleaded guilty to one count each of burglary, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and transferring criminal property.
"I say straight away I have no doubt at all that the sentence I pass must be consecutive to the sentence you are currently serving," Judge Ian Pringle KC said in his sentencing remarks
"Not to do so would be to send out a message that you did this without any penalty at all."
Meanwhile, a jury found Jones guilty of one count of burglary following a trial lasting around four weeks.
Sheen is said to have put in motion a plan to steal the toilet. He then sent Jones to conduct a recce of the palace and its grounds on two occasions in the lead up to the burglary, on 7 and 13 September.
In the latter trip, Jones bought a Blenheim Palace membership and booked to use the toilet, taking photos of the sculpture, the room it was in and potential entry and exit points for the burglary.
The raid was carried out in the early hours of 14 September. Two stolen vehicles, a VW Golf and an Isuzu truck, entered the palace grounds at speed.
This was followed by gaining entry with the use of sledgehammers and a crowbar.
The news follows Frederick Doe, 36, avoiding jail time and being handed a suspended sentence for his involvement in the plot.
The son of a multimillionaire was handed 21 months imprisonment suspended for two years, alongside 240 hours of unpaid work.
After the theft of the toilet, it is reported Doe contacted Sheen and offered to find a buyer for the gold and brokered the deal.
During the deal-making, both men referred to the gold bars as ‘cars’, each worth £26,000.
Sheen made trips to London and received the cash for the gold.
