The 18-carat lavatory was one of a series created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and titled America.

It was stolen in September 2019 while on display at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, where it was housed in a stall adjacent to the room in which Winston Churchill was born.

James Sheen, 40, pled guilty last year to one count each of burglary, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and transferring criminal property at Oxford Crown Court.

Two other men – Michael Jones, 39, and Fred Doe, 36 – were found guilty of offences related to the theft by a jury in the same court yesterday, while a third was acquitted.

Thames Valley Police has said it believes that “there are others who were involved in this crime” and has continued to appeal to the public for information.