Man accused of stealing gold toilet ‘used it day before raid’, court told

Michael Jones, 39, told Oxford Crown Court it was “splendid”.

The fully-functioning toilet, which had been installed as an artwork at the Oxfordshire country house where Sir Winston Churchill was born, was stolen in a raid in the early hours of September 14 2019.

The 18-carat toilet, which was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was a star attraction in an exhibition when it was stolen by sledgehammer-wielding thieves who smashed their way into the palace.

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In January, Michael Jones, 39, pleaded not guilty to burglary.

Jurors have been told that James Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, previously pleaded guilty to burglary.

Frederick Sines, 36, also known as Frederick Doe, of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, and Bora Guccuk, 41, from west London, each deny one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.

Jones said he did not know Guccuk or Doe before these legal proceedings but had worked as a roofer and builder for Sheen from around 2018.

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The defendant agreed with prosecutor Julian Christopher KC’s assertion that he was effectively his “right-hand man” and the court heard he was trusted to arrange payments for Sheen’s other employees.

Jones, from Oxford, visited the palace twice before the theft and it has been alleged that these were reconnaissance trips, which he denies.

He first went with his then-partner during a classic car show and the pair bought annual passes.

Several photographs were taken including of artworks, high-value vehicles, a poster advertising the upcoming gold toilet exhibition, and a view from the window that would later be smashed in the theft, the court heard.

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The day before the toilet was stolen, Jones spent around 90 minutes at the palace with the same woman, jurors were told.

It was a Friday and the prosecutor asked why he had taken a half-day off work to visit the palace, rather than waiting until the weekend.

Jones admitted he did not often book half-days off work to go to museums and exhibitions but it was because he “was interested to go and see it”.

Photos he had taken were again listed to the jury and Jones said he took many of them because they were “interesting” views or pieces of art.

One was of the window later broken to steal the gold toilet, jurors were told.

Jones said he was capturing the view of the Union flags in the distance, not to assist any burglars.

A lock on the cubicle to the toilet was also photographed.

Michael Jones, Frederick Doe and Bora Guccuk deny the charges (Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA) The defendant said it was because he thought it was “quite funny that you could actually lock yourself in the toilet”.

He denied sending or showing the images to anyone, and that Sheen had asked him to take them.

Questioned if he “took advantage of” the gold toilet’s “facilities”, the defendant said yes.

He was later asked what it was like, and Jones said: “Splendid.”

The toilet artwork, entitled America, weighed approximately 98 kilos and was taken in a five-minute “audacious raid”.

Jones said he was asleep on his own that night.

The artwork was insured for 6.0 million US dollars (£4.75 million) and was made from gold which was itself worth about £2.8 million.

It is believed to have been broken up after it was stolen.

The thieves drove through locked, wooden gates into the grounds of the palace before breaking in through a window.

The trial continues.