Two Jailed for Blenheim Palace Gold Toilet Theft

James Sheen and Michael Jones were sentenced to prison for stealing Maurizio Cattelan's 18-carat gold toilet, 'America,' from Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill's birthplace, in a 2019 heist completed in under six minutes. The thieves used stolen vehicles to smash through locked gates and removed the artwork, valued and insured at over $6 million, with a sledgehammer. The gold toilet has never been recovered and is believed to have been melted down or sold. Sheen received a four-year sentence to be served consecutively to an existing 19-year sentence for unrelated crimes, while Jones was sentenced to just over two years. The convictions relied on phone records and DNA evidence. The judge highlighted the high level of planning and the significant loss to the art world.