CCTV Footage Shows Thieves Stealing £4.75M Gold Toilet from Blenheim Palace

The 18-karat toilet - an artwork called America by Maurizio Cattelan - in the restroom of The Guggenheim in New York, 2016.

Police have released dramatic footage of the moment thieves stole a solid gold toilet worth £4.75 million from Blenheim Palace in a daring overnight raid.

The 18-carat-gold toilet, an artwork titled America by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was stolen in September 2019 after sledgehammer-wielding criminals smashed their way into the Oxfordshire estate, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

CCTV footage shown to jurors on Tuesday captured two cars speeding across the palace lawn before three men broke inside. Five minutes later, they were seen rolling the gold toilet away before loading it into the back of a blue VW Golf—its suspension visibly sagging under the 98kg weight. One of the thieves was also seen carrying the golden toilet seat before throwing it into the car.

Palace security guards, who had been watching the break-in unfold on CCTV, gave chase on foot as the vehicles fled the scene, Oxford Crown Court was told.

Michael Jones, 39, from Oxford, has pleaded not guilty to stealing the artwork during the early morning raid on 14 September 2019. Meanwhile, Frederick Sines, 36, also known as Frederick Doe, and Bora Guccuk, 41, deny conspiracy to transfer criminal property, with prosecutors alleging they helped another suspect, James Sheen, sell some of the stolen gold. Sheen, 40, has already pleaded guilty to burglary.

The court heard that the artwork, which was fully functional and insured for $6 million (£4.75m), was likely broken up and melted down after the theft. The trial continues.