Two Men Jailed for £4.75m Gold Toilet Heist at Blenheim Palace

Two men, Michael Jones and James Sheen, have been jailed for their involvement in the theft of a £4.75m gold toilet from Blenheim Palace in September 2019. Sheen was sentenced to four years in prison at the Oxford Crown Court, while Jones received a sentence of two years and three months.

Sheen had pleaded guilty to conspiracy, burglary, and transferring criminal property, while Jones was found guilty of burglary. Notably, Sheen was already serving a 19-year and four-month sentence for fraud, museum burglary, and attacks on cash machines, and the new sentence will run consecutively.

The court heard that Sheen’s guilty plea was based on overwhelming evidence, including fragments of gold in his clothing, incriminating messages on his phone, and his DNA at the crime scene. Sheen was identified as the main accomplice, as he was responsible for selling the gold and had a previous burglary conviction.

Investigations revealed that Sheen had exchanged 20 kilograms of gold, about one-fifth of the toilet’s weight, for £520,000 with an unknown buyer in Birmingham just two weeks after the crime.

Judge Ian Pringle KC described the heist as “bold and brazen,” taking only five and a half minutes to complete. Prosecutor Julian Christopher KC stated that five men were involved in the heist, but only Jones and Sheen were caught.

The investigation uncovered compelling evidence, including incriminating messages between Sheen and Frederick Doe, who was found guilty of conspiring to sell the gold. The messages showed Sheen asking for assistance in selling some of the stolen property.

The crime involved a sophisticated operation, with the group using two stolen vehicles, an Isuzu truck and a VW Golf, to gain entry to the palace before 5 am. Three of the five men were armed with sledgehammers and a crowbar.