Four men have been charged in connection with the audacious theft of an 18-carat golden toilet from a palace in southern England, according to prosecutors on Monday. The fully functioning toilet, valued at £4.8 million ($5.9 million), was part of an exhibition by an Italian conceptual artist at Blenheim Palace, a major tourist attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that James Sheen, 39, faces one count of burglary and two counts related to the transfer of criminal property. Three others—Michael Jones, Fred Doe, and Bora Guccuk, all in their 30s—were also charged.
Police had revealed at the time of the theft that burglars broke into the palace with two vehicles and took the toilet sometime before 5 a.m. It remains unclear if the toilet, nicknamed “America,” has been recovered, and authorities have not provided immediate updates on its status.
Blenheim Palace, the birthplace and ancestral home of British wartime leader Winston Churchill, expressed sadness over the loss of the toilet in 2019. The extravagant fixture had also been previously displayed at New York’s Guggenheim Museum.
The four men are set to appear in court on November 28, facing charges related to this daring and peculiar heist that has captured the attention of both the public and authorities alike.