7.7 Billion Won 'Golden Toilet' Theft...Suspect Caught but Toilet Remains Missing

The Blenheim Palace Exhibition Stolen Just Two Days After Opening
103kg of Gold Inserted... Water Actually Drained

Four individuals who stole a golden toilet worth ?4.8 million (7.7 billion KRW) exhibited at a palace in the UK have been indicted by prosecutors. The whereabouts of the stolen golden toilet remain unknown.

According to reports from the New York Post and AP News on the 7th (local time), four thieves who stole the golden toilet displayed at Blenheim Palace in the UK in September 2019 were arrested on theft charges and brought to trial.

Golden Toilet
Photo by AP Yonhap News

The four arrested are James Sheen (39), Michael Jones (38), Fred Do (35), and Bora Gukook (39). Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

The golden toilet, known by the title "America," was created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan using 18K gold. It is reported that a total of 103 kg of gold was used to make the artwork, attracting significant attention. The toilet was functional, allowing water to flush, and could be used by people, which made it popular.

The toilet was scheduled to be exhibited at Blenheim Palace for one month but was stolen just two days after the exhibition began. Visitors could use the golden toilet for three minutes through prior reservation.

Because of this, the palace believed it was impossible to steal the artwork connected to the plumbing and reportedly did not assign separate security personnel.

The perpetrators took advantage of the early morning hours before visitor admission to steal the toilet. During the process, a large amount of water poured into the palace through the plumbing connected to the toilet, causing serious damage to the interior and furniture of the palace, which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, according to media reports.

The estimated value of the artwork reaches 7.7 billion KRW, and foreign media reported that the title "America" reflects the artist's intention to critique excessive wealth.

Local police told the BBC in an interview, "It seems someone has already sold the toilet. It will be difficult to recover it quickly," adding, "We are not sure if it is still preserved as it was."

The four defendants are scheduled to appear at Oxford Court on the 28th.