British Man Convicted in $6 Million Gold Toilet Heist

A British man has been convicted for his role in a daring and bizarre crime: stealing a $6 million golden toilet. The 18-carat toilet, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and titled "America," was a functional art piece displayed at Winston Churchill's birthplace, Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Prosecutors revealed that the heist, which occurred before dawn on September 14, 2019, involved a group of five men. Using two stolen vehicles, they smashed through locked gates, broke into the building via a window, and tore the toilet from its fittings, completing the audacious act within just five minutes.

The stolen toilet, weighing 98 kilos, was insured for an eye-watering $6 million. Though it was never recovered, investigators believe it was dismantled into smaller chunks of gold to be sold.

Michael Jones, 39, was convicted of burglary at Oxford Crown Court, after pleading not guilty. Fred Doe, 36, was found guilty of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property, while Bora Guccuk, 41, was acquitted of the same charge. Another accomplice, James Sheen, 39, had already pleaded guilty to burglary and gold conversion charges before the trial began.

Shan Saunders, from the Crown Prosecution Service, described the raid as "audacious" yet flawed, citing forensic evidence, CCTV footage, and phone data that unravelled the perpetrators' plans. Saunders also noted that, while the gold remains unrecovered, this prosecution likely disrupted a broader criminal and money laundering network.

Honestly, who steals a golden toilet? The sheer absurdity of ripping a luxury loo from the wall and possibly melting it into smaller chunks is almost as incredible as the crime's execution. It’s like something out of a heist movie, minus the slick getaway.