LONDON (Reuters) – Three men went on trial in an English court on Monday on charges stemming from the heist of an 18-carat golden toilet that had been on display as an artwork in an exhibit at Winston Churchill’s birthplace.
The fully-functioning toilet, a work titled “America” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was stolen from the Churchill family seat of Blenheim Palace in southern England, a major tourist attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Prosecutor Julian Christopher said a group of five men drove two stolen vehicles through locked wooden gates into the palace grounds before dawn on September 14, 2019. They broke in through a window, smashed down a wooden door, ripped the toilet from the wall and left after five minutes in the building.
The toilet weighing 98 kilos was insured for $6 million. Prosecutors say it was probably divided into smaller amounts of gold to sell it off.
Michael Jones, 39, is standing trial at Oxford Crown Court charged with one count of burglary, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Fred Doe, 36, and Bora Guccuk, 40, are charged with one count of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property, namely gold, which they deny.
A fourth man James Sheen, 39, has previously pleaded guilty to burglary.
The trial is due to last four weeks.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin in London; Editing by Peter Graff)
