The “foolish” middleman in a plot to steal a £4.75 million gold toilet from Blenheim Palace – the Oxfordshire country house where Sir Winston Churchill was born – has walked free from court after being given a suspended sentence.
A gang of thieves smashed their way in and ripped out the fully-functioning 18-carat gold toilet, a star attraction in an exhibition, in a raid in the early hours of September 14 2019.
Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, was found guilty by a jury at Oxford Crown Court in March of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
On Monday, Doe of Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work.
The heist took place hours after a glamorous launch party and it is believed the distinctive toilet, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was split up or melted down and sold on soon after it was stolen.
None of the gold has been recovered.
Passing sentence, Judge Ian Pringle KC said: said: “You had a limited function, you had no personal gain, you had no wider involvement and you were involved for a short period.”
He 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 middleman, who was targeted by James Sheen as you knew people in Hatton Garden because of your knowledge of valuable watches.”
He said Doe was “targeted” for his legitimate contacts in the Hatton Garden jewellery district.
The judge told Doe: “Those responsible for this audacious heist, five individuals 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.
“You do things for people as favour without any expectation of reward for yourself.
“You no doubt, for the last five-and-a-half years, regret doing for James Sheen every day since your arrest.”
The toilet was stolen during a five-minute “audacious raid” by sledgehammer-wielding thieves who smashed their way in, the prosecution said.
The toilet artwork, entitled America, weighed approximately 98 kilograms, was insured for six million US dollars (£4.75 million) and was made from gold which was itself worth about £2.8 million.
The thieves drove through locked wooden gates into the grounds of the palace before breaking in through a window.
The judge said 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 aged under 15 and his wife’s ongoing health problems.
Earlier, defence counsel Crispin Aylett KC told the court of the “wealth” of character references that had been given on Doe’s behalf.
They included one from a magistrate who said: “Sadly, he has some relationships with others who have taken advantage of his good nature.”
Doe coaches underprivileged young athletes at the Sporting Ring boxing club and it might have to close if he were jailed as there are no other coaches with the necessary qualification levels, the court heard.
During mitigation, Mr Aylett also said Doe’s wife had a complex medical procedure during the trial and still needs tests to find out the state of her condition.
Jurors heard Sheen first got in touch with Doe on September 16 2019 – two days after the raid at Blenheim Palace – asking if Doe could help him sell some of the gold.
Doe replied to Sheen in a WhatsApp message: “I do know just the man you need to see.”
He also told Sheen he could “sell the gold in a second”.
Doe told the court he had “never had any indication at any time that the gold was stolen” and would have “never in a million years” helped sell stolen gold.
The pair arranged to meet on September 23 2019 in Hatton Garden to see the owner of Pacha of London Jewellery, Bora Guccuk.
Doe said he had been passionate about watches since childhood, which led him to develop contacts with jewellers at Hatton Garden in London.
It is believed Sheen took the 20 kilograms of gold from the toilet artwork to Birmingham Jewellery Quarter on September 27 2019 and sold it for £26,000 a kilogram – pocketing a total of £520,000, the jury trial heard.
Doe hugged friends and family and punched the air as he left court and said he had been taken advantage of by those who stole the gold toilet from Blenheim Palace.
Speaking outside court, Doe told the PA news agency: “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.
In March, Michael Jones, 39, was found guilty of burglary after a trial in which the jury found Mr Guccuk, 41, from west London, not guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Sheen, 40, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, had pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property, the court has previously heard.
Jones and Sheen are to be sentenced at a later date.
