A suspect in a gold toilet heist called it ‘splendid’ the day before it was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019.
Michael Jones said the gold toilet was ‘splendid’. It was part of an art display. The theft happened in September 2019.
Jones took photos before the crime. He photographed a window near the toilet. Jones wanted to capture the view of flags. He also took a picture of the toilet lock. He thought the lock was funny.
Maurizio Cattelan created the 18-carat toilet. Thieves used a sledgehammer to break in. They stole it from the palace exhibit.
Jones denies burglary. James Sheen admitted to burglary earlier. Frederick Sines and Bora Guccuk deny conspiracy.
The toilet, named America, weighed 98 kilos. It was insured for $6 million. The gold itself was worth £2.8 million.
They think the thieves broke it into pieces. They drove through palace gates. Then they broke in through a window.
Guards saw them on CCTV and chased them. Two cars sped away from the scene. The thieves knew where to go.
They broke into the toilet’s cubicle. They removed the plumbed-in gold toilet. Water poured out of the broken pipes.
The prosecutor called it an audacious raid. He said it needed lots of preparation. Critics saw the toilet as satire. It mocked wealth.
The White House wanted to borrow a Van Gogh painting. The Guggenheim offered the gold toilet instead. This happened during Trump’s term. The trial is still ongoing.