A man accused of assisting in the sale of gold from a stolen 18-carat toilet, worth £4.75 million, has told a court he would have “never in a million years” knowingly helped to dispose of stolen goods.
Frederick Doe, also known as Frederick Sines, 36, is currently on trial at Oxford Crown Court, facing allegations that he helped James Sheen, 40, sell gold from the famous toilet, which was stolen in what has been described as an “audacious raid” at Blenheim Palace in the early hours of 14 September 2019.
The golden toilet, entitled America, was an artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and a star attraction at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. The theft was carried out by a group of sledgehammer-wielding thieves, who smashed their way into the historic site and made off with the valuable exhibit within just five minutes.
Accused denies knowing gold was stolen
Sheen, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, has already admitted to burglary and an offence of transferring or converting gold in Birmingham on 27 September 2019. However, Doe, who gave evidence in court on Monday, insisted he had no knowledge that the gold in question was stolen.
He admitted that Sheen had approached him in September 2019, asking for help to find a buyer for 20 kilos of gold, but said he had no reason to be suspicious.
“I never had any indication at any time that the gold was stolen,” Doe told the jury.
When asked by his defence lawyer, Crispin Aylett KC, whether the large quantity of gold should have raised concerns, Doe replied:
“I agree that was quite a lot of gold, but I will get some prices and try to move on.
“I didn’t really pay attention to what he was talking about.
“To me, gold is gold. I don’t know good gold from bad gold.”
Suspicious messages exchanged
The prosecution presented a series of WhatsApp messages exchanged between Sheen and Doe. On 16 September 2019, just two days after the theft, Sheen messaged Doe about selling gold.
Doe replied:
“I do know just the man you need to see, the word on the street about the car.”
Explaining this message, Doe told jurors that “car” was a codeword for gold, specifically one kilogram of gold, and that he used coded language for safety reasons, concerned for the well-being of his wife and children.
Doe further revealed that the “man” he referred to was Bora Guccuk, 41, a jeweller from west London, who owns Pacha of London Jewellery in Hatton Garden. Both Doe and Guccuk deny a charge of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Additional messages were read in court, including one from Sheen to Doe, stating:
“I think you know what I’ve got.”
Another message from Sheen described the gold as:
“Honestly, that was the best car I have ever seen in my life.”
Doe, in response, wrote to Sheen that Guccuk “knows the full score of the car, what the car is, what it was and what it was not.”
Prosecutors allege this refers to the gold being from the stolen toilet, but Doe denied this, insisting he had never heard of the Blenheim Palace raid until 14 November 2019, when Guccuk was interviewed by police.
When questioned if he had received any money from Sheen for helping to sell the gold, Doe stated:
“Not a penny.”
He further maintained that he had “no involvement” in the gold trade, but due to his passion for watches, had made contacts with Hatton Garden jewellers over the years. Doe, who runs a construction vehicle and machinery supply business, also stressed that he had never seen the gold in person.
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How the heist unfolded
During the Blenheim Palace raid, the thieves rammed through locked wooden gates and gained access by smashing a window. The golden toilet, weighing 98 kilos, was fully functioning and had been insured for $6 million (£4.75 million). The artwork itself was made from gold worth approximately £2.8 million.
A third defendant, Michael Jones, 39, has pleaded not guilty to burglary.
Jones, from Oxford, told the court he had worked as a roofer and builder for Sheen since 2018. He admitted to visiting Blenheim Palace twice before the theft but denied these were reconnaissance trips.
On one visit, just five days before the exhibition opened, Jones attended a classic car show with his then-partner, Carly Jones, and even purchased an annual pass. Jurors heard that photographs were taken of a poster advertising the upcoming gold toilet exhibition, as well as the window that was later smashed during the theft.
The fate of the golden toilet
Authorities believe that the stolen toilet was taken to Birmingham on 27 September 2019, where it was subsequently broken up and melted down. The police investigation into the final fate of the artwork remains ongoing.
The trial continues at Oxford Crown Court.
