"The work of art was never recovered."
A court has heard that a gang of thieves stole a solid gold toilet worth £2.8 million from Blenheim Palace in a five-minute raid.
The 18-carat gold artwork, titled America, was fully plumbed and functioning when it was taken in September 2019.
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan had created the piece as part of an exhibition at the Oxfordshire stately home, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
Oxford Crown Court was told the toilet, weighing 98kg, was most likely broken up and never recovered.
Prosecutor Julian Christopher KC said a gang of five used two vehicles to smash through locked gates before breaking into the palace with sledgehammers.
He told jurors: “The work of art was never recovered. It appears to have been split up into smaller amounts of gold and never recovered.”
The court heard that Michael Jones, aged 39, from Oxford, took a photograph of the toilet 17 hours before the theft.
The prosecution alleges this was part of a reconnaissance mission before the burglary.
Jones denies a charge of burglary.
Frederick Sines, also known as Frederick Doe, from Windsor, and Bora Guccuk, from west London, have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
A fourth man, James Sheen, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, admitted burglary and conspiracy to transfer criminal property in April 2024.
Jurors heard that within days of the raid, messages found on Sheen, Doe and Guccuk’s phones referred to the stolen gold using the word “car”.
The court was told they discussed a price of £25,632 per kilo for around 20kg of gold.
Prosecutors allege Guccuk, who ran the Hatton Garden jewellers Pacha of London, stood to make a profit of £3,000 per kilo sold.
Mr Christopher described the burglary as “carefully planned and swiftly carried out.”
He told the court: “They knew precisely where to go, broke down the wooden door to the cubicle where the toilet was fully plumbed in, removed it, leaving water pouring out of the pipes, and drove away.”
The court heard that the sledgehammers used in the break-in were left at the scene.
Gold prices at the time meant the stolen toilet’s material alone was valued at £2.8 million. Despite its insured value of £4.75 million, the thieves reportedly settled for far less when selling the stolen gold.
Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, remains a popular tourist destination, attracting thousands of visitors annually.
Security measures were reviewed following the theft, with officials emphasising the challenges of protecting high-value artworks in historic settings.
The trial continues.
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