18 -carat gold toilet stolen in five minutes: How the thieves removed from the Blenheim Palace Palace

The process for one of the most daring art thefts in recent history is underway at Oxford Crown Court, where three men are accused of involving them in the theft of an 18 carat gold toilet from the Blenheim Palace. The fully functional golden comedy, a satirical work entitled America by the Italian concept artist Maurizio Cattelan, was stolen in the early hours of September 14, 2019, in a meticulous planned heist, which lasted only five minutes.

Theft: a disgusted operation

Prosecutor Julian Christopher told the jurors that a five men’s gang performed theft driving two vehicles stolen through the locked wooden gates in the Blenheim Palace. Burglars used Sledgehammers to snatch their road to the world of UNESCO, from the eighteenth century, where they snatched the golden toilet from its installations, leaving the water trembling through the historical estate. The thieves fled the stage in less than five minutes, leaving the sledgehammers behind in breaking.

Michael Jones, 39, is one of the accused, accused of theft. The prosecutor’s office claims that Jones has accomplished recognition missions before Heist, taking pictures of access points and even the lock on the bathroom door. “There can be no doubt that he has made recognition for the theft to take place that night,” Christopher said.

The value and fate of the toilet

The gold toilet, which weighed 98 kilograms (215 kilograms), was provided for $ 6 million. At the time of theft, the value of its single gold was estimated at $ 3.5 million. The art work had previously been displayed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, before being installed at the Blenheim Palace, as part of an exhibition. The museum offered the famous America to US President Donald Trump, after asking to borrow a painting Van Gogh.

The toilet has never been recovered and is believed to have been broken down and sold for gold. Prosecutors presented evidence to suggest that the defendants negotiated a price of 25,632 pounds per kilogram for about 20 kg of the stolen gold. The messages exchanged between the accused included a coded language that refers to the toilet as a “car”. A message from James Sheen, 40, who has already been guilty of burglary, said: “I will connect with YA, I received something on your path.” Fred Doe, 36 years old, replied: “I can sell the car for you in two seconds … So come to see me tomorrow.”

The accused and the process

Jones, along with the Doe and Bora Guccuk co-insults, 41, are in court for burglary and conspiracy to transfer criminal goods. Both doe and Guccuk deny the accusations against them. Prosecutors claim that Guccuk, a jeweler who drove Pacha from London into Hatton Garden, contributed to the transformation of gold stolen, assumed to make a profit of about 3,000 pounds per kilogram. The burglary and transfer of criminal properties is expected to be a key figure in the case of criminal prosecution. Theft has caused extensive damage the Blenheim Palace, which attracts thousands of visitors annually as the birthplace of British war leader Winston Churchill. The water in the system of sanitary installations flooded the exhibition area, adding the losses caused by the stolen work.

The process is expected to last four weeks, with the prosecutors determined to bring those responsible for Heist in court. Despite nature with high crime profile, the golden toilet remains missing, and its exact fate can never be known.