Golden toilet: Fresh appeal for information over whereabouts of gold
It comes as last week two men, one from Oxford and one from Wellingborough were sentenced for their part in the robbery from Blenheim Palace in 2019.
Last updated 16th Jun 2025
Police say there may be more cases to come for those involved in the 'audacious heist' of a gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire.
Two men, one from Oxford and one from Wellingborough were sentenced on Friday for their part in the theft of the £4.8 million pound art installation in September 2019.
3\9 year old Michael Jones from Oxford was found guilty of burglary in March while 40 year old James Sheen from Wellingborough already pleaded guilty.
On Friday Michael Jones was handed a 27-month prison sentence at Oxford Crown Court. On the same day James Sheen was sentenced to four years.
Sheen is already serving over 19 years' imprisonment for attacks on cash machines, a museum burglary and fraud and was not due for release until 2032.
A third man Fred Doe, of Winkfield, Windsor, in Berkshire was been given a 21-month suspended sentence and ordered to do 240 hours unpaid work in March after he was found guilty of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property.
Now Thames Valley Police are appealing for anyone with information on the case to come forward, saying they believe others were involved, and more may know the whereabouts of the gold which is yet to be recovered.
Detective Superintendent Bruce Riddell is Head of the Special Operations Department at Thames Valley Police:
"I'm fairly certain I know the identity of at least two of the other people involved. We just don't have enough evidence against them at this stage to charge them, so there is a bit of an appeal, if relationships change if loyalty's change, get in touch."
DS Bruce Riddell says many more arrests were made during the investigation, and they won't stop searching for the missing gold:
"In total we've arrested 12 people and we've recovered over 2,000 exhibits..."
He says it's been a complex case with a huge amount of work for the investigative team, who brought in gold experts from Italy to confirm fragments found in Sheen's clothing matched that of the toilet.
Policed believe the gold was separated and melted down within 10 days of the burglary and has not yet been recovered.
DS Bruce Riddell say they won't stop looking for the stolen gold:
"We will follow where the evidence takes us, in this case we will follow where the gold takes us, the fragments of gold. We really want to take away the attraction of anyone getting involved in serious organised crime."
Police have also begun attempting to recover profits from crime from the pair. Already Trading Standards have identified over £200,000 from James Sheen that he made from being a rogue trader and defrauding elderly victims in the community.
Detectives say they want to make sure crime doesn't pay.
Officers are appealing to anyone who may have any information to come forward to the Thames Valley Police force, or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously.