A British court has sentenced two men to prison for stealing a $6.4 million golden toilet from an English mansion in 2019. The thieves, who targeted the toilet as part of a satirical commentary on consumer culture, made off with the valuable piece after smashing a window and yanking it from its plumbing.
The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was displayed at Blenheim Palace, where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born, before being stolen in September 2019. The thieves were identified as James Sheen and Michael Jones, who had been planning to use the toilet for their own private sessions. They used sledgehammers and a crowbar to wrench the toilet from its foundation, causing significant damage to the 18th-century property.
Sheen was sentenced to four years in prison, while Jones received two years and three months. The thieves believed they could sell the toilet’s gold for millions of dollars, but it was never recovered. Maurizio Cattelan, the Italian conceptual artist behind the piece, had previously displayed the toilet at The Guggenheim Museum in New York, where it sold for $6.2 million at auction in 2024.
The brazen heist took just 5 1/2 minutes to complete and left the property with significant damage. Judge Ian Pringle described the crime as “bold and brazen,” saying that the toilet had never been seen again. The court’s decision brings an end to a saga that captivated art lovers and the public alike.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/men-stole-6-million-golden-toilet-english-mansion-122816880