Diamond earrings swallowed by suspected thief are recovered by police

Detectives have recovered four diamond earrings from a suspected thief two weeks after he swallowed the jewellery worth nearly £600,000 during his arrest, US police have said.

The man, who was detained in Florida, had told staff at a Tiffany & Co store he was interested in buying earrings and a diamond ring on behalf of an Orlando Magic basketball player in February.

He was escorted to a VIP room where he could view the jewellery but a short time later, he jumped out of his chair, grabbed the jewellery and forced his way out the door, Orlando Police Department said.

Officers obtained the licence plate of the suspect’s car through shopping centre security footage and tracked the vehicle.

He was pulled over for driving without rear lights in Washington County, almost 340 miles away, a police report said.

In the police car, an officer heard the suspect say: “I should have thrown them out the window,” and at the Washington County jail he asked staff: “Am I going to be charged with what is in my stomach?” according to the arrest report.

While some earrings were quickly recovered, the suspect was then transferred to hospital where detectives monitored him as they waited to collect the remaining evidence.

The four stolen earrings, valued at $770,000 (£596,000), matched the serial numbers from the jewellery taken from the Tiffany store last month, detectives said.

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After the jewellery was recovered, the arrested man was taken to Orange County Jail where he faces charges of robbery with a mask and first-degree grand theft.