A gang that stole and sold a "gold toilet" worth 4.75 million pounds (about 900 million won) from the birthplace of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is set to face justice more than five years after the crime, according to reports from AP, Reuters, and other foreign media.
On the 18th (local time), a jury at Oxford Crown Court in the UK found Michael Jones, 39, and Frederick Doe, 36, guilty of conspiracy to steal the "gold toilet." They are also facing charges of robbery and transfer of stolen goods.
Jones was found to have participated in the theft of the artwork "gold toilet" created by Italian installation artist Maurizio Cattelan, which was displayed at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Churchill, on Sept. 14, 2019.
According to prosecutors, Jones, who was already arrested and found guilty as the planner and main perpetrator James Sean, 40, was instructed to break into Blenheim Palace’s window with at least two other accomplices in the early morning of the incident and remove the gold toilet, which was installed in the room next door where Churchill was born, loading it into a getaway vehicle. The entire crime reportedly took less than five minutes.
The day before the crime, which was also the opening day of the exhibition, Jones personally visited the site and used the toilet, which had been made available for any visitor. When asked about the experience at that time, he responded, "It was quite impressive," according to the prosecutors.
The prosecution described the crime as "a bold attack that was meticulously planned and executed" but added, "The criminals were careless. They left evidence in the form of forensics, CCTV, and mobile phone records."
In the case of another accomplice, Doe, although he did not directly participate in the theft, he was found guilty of being involved in transferring the stolen gold toilet after conspiring with the main perpetrator Sean later.
"Gold toilet" is one of Cattelan's signature works, characterized by its satire of excessive wealth. Cattelan created the piece from 98 kg of 18K gold and titled it "America," first exhibited in 2016 at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. The museum also gained attention when it suggested to then-U.S. President Donald Trump that it could serve as a substitute for a Van Gogh painting the museum wanted to loan in 2018.
Meanwhile, the prosecution stated that Sean and his gang melted down the stolen gold toilet and sold it to jewelers for cash, noting, "Although the stolen gold has not been recovered at all, we believe this indictment contributes to dismantling a broader network of crime and money laundering."
The sentencing hearing for these individuals is set for May in Doe's case, while the trial dates for Jones and main perpetrator Sean have not yet been determined.