Three men charged with stealing a solid gold toilet from Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan four years ago from a castle in the south of England pleaded not guilty in a British court on Friday.
Named “America”, the 18-carat gold work including operational seat, bowl and flush was valued at 4.8 million pounds (5.5 million euros).
It was a key piece of the exhibition dedicated in September 2019 to the iconoclast Maurizio Cattelan in Blenheim Palace, an 18th century baroque residence in Oxforshire, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and where was born Winston Churchill.
James Sheen, 39, Michael Jones, 38, and Frederick Sines, known as Fred Doe, 35, have pleaded not guilty to charges against them, including burglary and conspiracy to move stolen property.
Defendants released on bail
A fourth man, Bora Guccuk, 40, also charged with conspiring to move stolen property, did not have to speak during the hearing which took place at Oxford Crown Court.
The day after the theft, the police explained that the thieves had entered the palace during the night of September 13 to 14 and left the premises in the early morning, with the precious toilet, causing significant damage and flooding.
The “America” toilet was first exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, where it was used by some 100,000 people between September 2016 and summer 2017.
All four accused were released on bail until their next court appearance.