Those involved in the theft of a gold toilet in Great Britain have been prosecuted

^{Photo: Leon Neal}
The Oxford Crown Court reviewed the case of two suspects who stole a toilet made of gold in 2019. The court found Michael Jones guilty of theft and burglary, while Fred Dou was found guilty of conspiracy to transport the stolen item.

Previously, the court had found another participant in the crime, James Shinn, guilty of theft and burglary as well as conspiracy to transport the stolen item. One of the suspects was acquitted. Sentencing for Michael Jones and Fred Dou will be announced later.

The gold toilet is considered a contemporary art piece created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan for the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York. The author named his work "America." Before being stolen, the toilet was insured for 6 million dollars, and approximately 4 million dollars worth of gold was used in its creation.

In 2019, this object became part of an exhibition at Blenheim Palace. This palace is the residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, where Winston Churchill was born. Visitors to the exhibition could use it for their purposes. According to Cattelan, he wanted to draw attention to inequality and issues in the art market through his work.

In September of that year, the criminals managed to break into the palace through its wooden gate in a truck and enter the building. They then took the toilet, which weighed up to 100 kilograms. According to investigation reports, they chopped the toilet into small pieces and sold it.