Staff woken during gold toilet theft at Blenheim Palace. Witnesses recall alarm, breaking glass, and fleeing vehicles.
A trial is ongoing. Jurors heard witness statements Wednesday at Oxford Crown Court. The statements described the break-in.
Abel Clarke was a night manager. His room was above the golden toilet. He awoke to the fire alarm. He heard two loud bangs below. Clarke thought the boiler exploded at first.
Clarke went to see Reza Haghighi, who watched the CCTV. Haghighi reported cars outside, saying they were breaking in. Clarke noticed headlights and saw two vehicles leaving fast, one of which was a truck.
Clarke ran by a pick-up for a moment, but couldn’t see the driver. Eleanor Paice, who also lived there, told him to return. She heard what sounded like a delivery, then she heard glass breaking.
Michael Jones denies artwork theft. The raid happened early in September 2019. Frederick Sines and Bora Guccuk also deny charges. They deny conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Sines and Guccuk allegedly helped sell gold. James Sheen admitted to the burglary and pleaded guilty previously.
Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian artist, made the toilet. It was a popular exhibit. It was likely broken after it got stolen.
Thieves drove through locked gates and entered Blenheim Palace. Then, they broke in through a window. The thieves knew where to go.
They broke the toilet cubicle door. Then, they removed the plumbed-in toilet, causing water to pour from the pipes. The prosecutor called it an audacious raid. Careful planning was required, he said. The trial goes on.