Man avoids prison for role in £4.8m gold toilet theft
Frederick Doe's the first of three men to be sentenced for stealing the art from Blenheim Palace
A Windsor man has avoided prison for his role in the theft of a £4.75 million gold toilet heist from Blenheim Palace.
The 18-carat toilet was stolen in 2019, in an early morning raid.
It had been installed as an artwork at the Oxfordshire house, initially created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, and was a star attraction before being stolen on September 14.
Today at Oxford Crown Court, 36-year-old Frederick Doe, of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, was handed a suspended sentence for his involvement in the heist.
Judge Ian Pringle KC sentenced Doe to 21 months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered him to do 240 hours unpaid work.
He was found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property by a majority verdict in March, and is one of three men who are being sentenced for the crime.
Bora Guccuk, 41, from west London, was also standing trial and was found not guilty of the same charge as Doe.
Doe helped to sell on parts of the toilet after the heist.
Two others, 39-year-old Michael Jones, from Oxford, and 40-year-old James Sheen, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, will be sentenced for their involvement at a later date.
The raid in 2019 was carefully planned, with Thames Valley Police stating the men were armed with sledgehammers and a crowbar to gain entry to the home, tearing the golden toilet from its fixings.
It was a theft that was completed within five minutes.
None of the gold was ever recovered, with the Crown Prosecution Service believing it was likely to have been "broken up or melted".
A date is still to be confirmed for the sentencing for Jones and Sheen.