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News Topical, Digital Desk : Two men were sentenced to jail on Friday for stealing an 18-carat gold toilet that worked just like a regular toilet and was displayed as an art piece at an exhibition at Winston Churchill's birthplace.
The toilet was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England
The toilet was designed by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and was stolen from the Churchill family residence of Blenheim Palace in southern England, a major tourist attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This is how the theft was committed
At the start of the trial at Oxford Crown Court in February, prosecutor Julian Christopher told the jury that a group of five men drove two stolen vehicles through a locked wooden gate into the castle grounds in the pre-dawn hours of September 14, 2019. They broke in through a window, smashed a wooden door, ripped out a toilet from the wall and left the building after five minutes.
The toilet, weighing 98 kilograms (216 pounds), was insured for $6 million. Prosecutors say it was probably broken down into smaller amounts of gold to be sold. The gold was never recovered.
The court sentenced him to jail
James Sheen, 40, pleaded guilty before trial to theft, conspiracy to convert or transfer gold, and convert or transfer gold. Michael Jones, 39, was found guilty of theft by a jury. The court has sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
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