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A “foolish” middle-man involved in the theft of a £4.8m gold toilet stolen from an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace has been handed a suspended sentence at Oxford crown court.
Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, from Windsor, was convicted by a jury of conspiring to transfer criminal property. He was accused of offering to find a buyer for the gold.
The 18-carat fully functioning lavatory, which weighed around 98kg, was stolen in September 2019 while it was featured in an art exhibition, and is believed to have been broken up and disposed of. None of the gold has been recovered.
Two other men – Michael Jones, who was found guilty of planning the burglary and James Sheen, who previously admitted stealing the toilet – will be sentenced next month at Oxford crown court.
The artwork, which had previously been on display in New York City, was created by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, and was plumbed in at the time of the heist, so its removal led to flooding and resulted in damage to the 18th-century stately home and Unesco world heritage site where Winston Churchill was born.
Cattelan created the sculpture – called “America” – to reflect the excesses of the art market and evoke the American dream of opportunity for all.
Judge Ian Pringle KC sentenced Doe to 21 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered him to do 240 hours of unpaid work. He said Doe had been of previous good character and accepted that the conspirators may have taken advantage of his good nature.
The judge told Doe: “You had a limited function, you had no personal gain, you had no wider involvement and you were involved for a short period.”
He took account of the character references, which spoke of Doe’s “kind, caring and selfless nature”, as well as the impact that going to prison would have on his family of four children under 15 and his wife’s ongoing health problems.
Doe’s trial heard he “never had any indication at any time that the gold was stolen” and would have “never in a million years” helped sell stolen gold.
He had instead been “targeted” for his legitimate contacts in the Hatton Garden jewellery district, the judge said.
Pringle rejected the suggestion by prosecutor Julian Christopher KC that Doe was one of the main players in the conspiracy, saying: “You were, at best, a middle man who was targeted by James Sheen as you knew people in Hatton Garden because of your knowledge of valuable watches.”
He told Doe: “Those responsible for this audacious heist, five individuals who could be seen on CCTV, were clearly intent on disposing of their ill-gotten gains quickly – one of them was James Sheen and he knew you.
“He clearly knew you had business connections, legitimate business connections with the Hatton Garden area in London. You foolishly agreed to assist him.”
The judge added: “You agreed to assist Mr Sheen without any hope or expectation of a reward for yourself.”
Speaking outside court, Doe said: “My good nature has been taken advantage of. I got caught up in something I should not have and now I just want to go home and enjoy my family. I am a good person.”
He left in a car surrounded by a group of friends who shouted “he is a good person” and said they would be going for a drink to celebrate.
Five men were seen on CCTV carrying out the heist, but only two – Sheen and Jones – have been caught.
