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The case of the swallowed ring

Steven Morris

LONDON: It was, to say the least, an unconventional romantic gesture. Unable to afford the diamond engagement ring that he had set his heart on for his girlfriend, Simon Hooper popped it into his mouth when a jeweller's back was turned and swallowed it.

At first it looked as if the 28-year-old might just have got away with it. Police strip-searched him but could find no trace of the platinum ring — until one of them ran a metal detector over his stomach.

They took him to hospital, where an X-ray revealed a suspicious ring-shaped object in his stomach, but Hooper denied it was the piece of jewellery, claiming he had accidentally swallowed a piece of foil paper. So officers put him in a cell and waited for nature to take its course.

Hooper held on for as long as possible, forcing the police to seek an extension to the time they could hold him. Three days and three nights later the £1,750 ring re-emerged. They cleaned up the evidence and charged him.

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2007

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