'America', a fully-working solid gold toilet, at Blenheim Palace. Getty Images
'America', a fully-working solid gold toilet, at Blenheim Palace. Getty Images
'America', a fully-working solid gold toilet, at Blenheim Palace. Getty Images
'America', a fully-working solid gold toilet, at Blenheim Palace. Getty Images

Four men charged over theft of £4.8 million gold toilet from Blenheim Palace


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

Four men have been charged over the theft of a gold toilet valued at £4.8 million from Blenheim Palace.

The working convenience, called America, was part of an art exhibition featuring several works by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan at the 18th century stately home in Woodstock, near Oxford, southern England.

Thieves broke in to the home, which is the birthplace of former prime minister Winston Churchill, while it was closing for the day in September 2019, and ripped out the lavatory, causing “significant damage and flooding”.

Visitors had been able to book time slots to use the 18-carat privy but only for three minutes at a time, to limit queues.

More than 100,000 people used it after it went on display at New York's Guggenheim Museum in 2016.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which decides whether to bring cases to court in England and Wales, said the four men, aged between 35 and 39, would appear in court in Oxford on November 28.

James Sheen, 39, is facing one count of burglary, one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property, and a further charge of transferring criminal property.

The gold lavatory, valued at £4.8 million, was stolen from from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, southern England. Getty Images
The gold lavatory, valued at £4.8 million, was stolen from from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, southern England. Getty Images

Michael Jones, 38, is facing a charge of burglary while Fred Doe, 35, and Bora Guccuk, 39, are both accused of conspiracy to transfer criminal property, a CPS statement read.

Police had made several arrests in relation to the theft from the palace, which was home to the dukes of Marlborough and is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

It is not known whether the toilet has been recovered.

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Light Heavyweight: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) no contest Kevin Oumar (COM) Unintentional knee by Oumer

Catchweight 73kg:  Yazid Chouchane (ALG) beat Ahmad Al Boussairy (KUW) Unanimous decision

Featherweight: Faris Khaleel Asha (JOR) beat Yousef Al Housani (UAE) TKO in round 2 through foot injury

Welterweight: Omar Hussein (JOR) beat Yassin Najid (MAR); Split decision

Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Sallah Eddine Dekhissi (MAR); Round-1 TKO

Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali Musalim (UAE) beat Medhat Hussein (EGY); Triangle choke submission

Welterweight: Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) beat Sofiane Oudina (ALG); Triangle choke Round-1

Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Saleem Al Bakri (JOR); Unanimous decision

Bantamweight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Nawras Abzakh (JOR); TKO round-2

Catchweight 63kg: Rany Saadeh (PAL) beat Abdel Ali Hariri (MAR); Unanimous decision

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Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner

Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

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Updated: November 07, 2023, 8:43 AM