₦airaland Forum

It was not your typical smash and grab burglary and the booty was precious: a toilet worth more than its weight in gold. The one of its kind, 18-carat gold was swiped in under five minutes from Blenheim palace the sprawling English country mansion where British wartime leader Winson Churchill was born, in the predown hours of September 14, 2019, the prosecutor told jurors on Monday

Attorney Julian Christian said in his opening statement Crown Oxford Court that it was an 'audacious raid'. One of three men on trial in the case of purloined potty was involved in the stealing it and the other two helped to sell the spoil. The toilet has never been recovered butis believed to have been cut up and sold!

The satirical work, titled 'America' by Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan, poked fun at excessive wealth. It weighed just over 215 pounds (98 kilograms) and was insured £4.8m ($6m). The value of the gold at that time was £2.8m ($3.5m).

The price had previously been on displayed at Guggenheim museum in New York. The museum has offered the work to US President Donald Trump during his first term in office after he had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting.

One of the defendants, Michael Jones, cased tge palace twice in the weeks leading up to the theft, once before the toilet went on display at Blenheim palace and up close and personal once it was installed and fully functional as an exhibit, Christopher said. Visitors to the exhibition could book a three-minute to use the toilet. Both times, Jones could took photos of the window that was later smashed to break into the palace. The second time he also took photos from inside the bathroom, including a photo of the lock on the toilet door

'There can be no doubt that he was carrying out a reconnaissance for the burglary that was to take place later that night', Christopher said. 'That would be enough to make him guilty of count one of burglary'.

But Jones was probably among the group of five men who crashed through the wooden gates of the palace before dawn the next morning in two stolen vehicles. Christopher said, they tore a field in an Isuzu truck and VW Golf and pulled up to the front steps, where they smashed the window Jones has photographed.

They made quick work of breaking down the toilet door and removed the golden throne from the plumbing, leaving water gushing from the pipes that caused considerable damage to the 18th-century building a UNESCO world heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year.

Jones was in cahoots with James Sheen, a builder he worked for who was part of both the burglary and the effort to sell the gold, Christopher said. Sheen 40, previously pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy, and transferring criminal property.

Sheen then allegedly worked to broker a deal with Fred Doe and Bora Guccuk to cash in on the haul. In a series of text messages he referred to the 'loot' as a 'car',but Christopher said he was actually talking about the gold. 'I'll link up with ya' I got something right up your path' Sheen told Doe in one message. 'I can sell that car for you in two seconds'...so come and see me tomorrow', Doe said in a reply. Doe, 36, and Guccuk 41, are charged with one count conspiracy to transfer criminal property. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty.
https://cnn.com.it/4kc0i4a

So poverty is everywhere

COMRADES, based on the western media propaganda, I used to think that massive corruption and theft (immorality) are peculiar to Nigerians and Africans alone; honestly, if not because of this revelation, all this while, I've been regarding the whites as being saints

They must be full of shit...

Maybe Dey tasted Yoruba algae green soup and amala

Melagros:
COMRADES, based on the western media propaganda, I used to think that massive corruption and theft (immorality) are peculiar to Nigerians and Africans alone; honestly, if not because of this revelation, all this while,

Understand the meaning of a word before you use it.
Propaganda has specific meaning.

I've been regarding the whites as being saints

Only an idiot regard a fellow human as saint based on skin color.

CNN: “Three men”

Nairaland E-d!0t : Three white men

Expensive shít

Old news

EXPENSIVE SHIT, it WORTH it.

Inu igbẹ lowo wa

It's worth stealing... I no mean sef

RaySimran:
Old news

The case is ongoing till today, before you Google anything check the day that CNN reported it...25/02/2025

Allsmilez999:
CNN: “Three men”

Nairaland E-d!0t : Three white men

Why are you pained? Is your father a white elephant? So you preferred the thieves to be blacks, right? Nonsense talk

Melagros:
Why are you pained? Is your father a white elephant? So you preferred the thieves to be blacks, right? Nonsense talk

Your reply doesn’t even relate.
You wrote “white” cos you couldn’t even believe white people can do crimes. White butthole licker 😂

You ask; “So you preferred the thieves to be blacks, right?” But it was you who wrote up there that you used to think white people are saints. Are you slow?

E remain make oyibo shit for your mouth. E-d!0t

Allsmilez999:
CNN: “Three men”

Nairaland E-d!0t : Three white men

Three Idiots

SerpentAWOLOWO:
Maybe Dey tasted Yoruba algae green soup and amala

Did you just called Ewedu an algae soup ? Knowing fully well its not but because you are a tribal bigot, you chose to be foolish

SerpentAWOLOWO:
Yoruba Dey shit green ?

Na your papa dey shit yellow
Foolish son of a bitch

Allsmilez999:
Your reply doesn’t even relate.
You wrote “white” cos you couldn’t even believe white people can do crimes. White butthole licker 😂

You ask; “So you preferred the thieves to be blacks, right?” But it was you who wrote up there that you used to think white people are saints. Are you slow?

E remain make oyibo shit for your mouth. E-d!0t

Well, I don't join issues with a child of artificial insemination, someone else above has already replied you

emoe:
So poverty is everywhere

last time I checked the word poverty didn't originate from Nigeria