Two men who smashed their way into an historic English property and ripped out a ￡4.5 million (US$6.1 million) solid gold toilet were on Friday jailed for their part in the theft.
James Sheen, 40, and Michael Jones, 39, were jailed at Oxford Crown Court in central England for four years and 27 months respectively.
The sentences came as it was revealed that Sheen is already serving 19 years in jail for a string of other offences including a museum burglary and attacks on cash machines.
Photo: AFP
The fully functioning 18-karat artwork was stolen in a raid on an exhibition at Blenheim Palace — the birthplace of Winston Churchill — near central Oxford in September 2019.
The toilet artwork dubbed America was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and had been on display as one of the star attractions at an exhibition in the 18th-century home.
“This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete,” Judge Ian Pringle said. “America has never been seen again.”
Weighing about 98kg, the artwork was insured for US$6 million and was made with 20kg of gold valued at about ￡2.8 million. It was stolen just hours after a glamorous exhibition launch party by the sledgehammer-wielding thieves.
Prosecutors said the work was likely broken up or melted down and sold soon after the theft.
The gold has not been recovered.
It is believed that Sheen took the 20kg of gold to the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter in September 2019 and sold it for ￡26,000 a kilogram — earning ￡520,000.
Jurors heard earlier that Sheen first contacted a third man, Frederick Doe, two days after the raid to ask if he could help him sell some of the gold.
Doe replied to Sheen in a WhatsApp message: “I do know just the man you need to see.”
The 37-year-old, described by a judge as a “foolish” middleman, escaped jail for his role in the heist.
He was handed a suspended sentenced last month after being found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Jones previously said he used the toilet at Blenheim Palace the day before it was taken.
Asked what it was like, he told the court it was “splendid.”
Sheen admitted burglary and money laundering offences.
Judge Pringle said his four-year jail term would be added to the 19 years he is already serving.
Jones was found guilty of burglary after an earlier trial.
A ship that appears to be taking on the identity of a scrapped gas carrier exited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, showing how strategies to get through the waterway are evolving as the Middle East war progresses. The vessel identifying as liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Jamal left the Strait on Friday morning, ship-tracking data show. However, the same tanker was also recorded as having beached at an Indian demolition yard in October last year, where it is being broken up, according to market participants and port agent’s reports. The ship claiming to be Jamal is likely a zombie vessel that
Cannabis-based medicines have shown little evidence of effectiveness for treating most mental health and substance-use disorders, according to a large review of past studies published in a major medical journal on Monday. Medical use of cannabinoids has been expanding, including in the US, Canada and Australia, where many patients report using cannabis products to manage conditions such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep problems. Researchers reviewed data from 54 randomized clinical trials conducted between 1980 and May last year involving 2,477 participants for their analysis published in The Lancet. The studies assessed cannabinoids as a primary treatment for mental disorders or substance-use
NATIONWIDE BLACKOUT: US President Donald Trump cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, strangling the Caribbean island’s already antiquated grid Cuba’s national electric grid collapsed on Monday, the nation’s grid operator said, leaving about 10 million people without power amid a US-imposed oil blockade that has crippled the already obsolete generation system. Grid operator UNE on social media said that it is investigating the causes of the blackout, the latest in a series of widespread outages that last for hours or days and that this weekend sparked a rare violent protest in the communist-run nation. Officials ruled out a major power plant failure, but had still not pinpointed the root cause of the grid collapse, suggesting a problem with transmission. Officials said that
‘HEALTH ISSUE’: More than 250 women are hospitalized every day due to complications from unsafe abortions, and about three die, a study showed Jane had been bleeding heavily for days before finally seeking help, not from a hospital, but from the man who sold her the pills meant to end her six-week pregnancy. Abortions are strictly outlawed in the mainly Catholic Philippines, forcing women to turn to a patchwork of providers operating in the online shadows. While rare in practice, Philippine law allows for prison terms of up to six years for abortion patients and providers, leaving thousands of Filipinas to search for solutions in online forums where unlicensed sellers promote abortifacients. “It was very painful, as if my abdomen was being twisted,” said Jane, whose
RSS