An Irish man who swallowed an expensive diamond ring at a jewellery store in Turkey recently told prosecutors that he wasn’t himself when he did it, because he “fell into a trance” the moment he saw the beautiful diamond.
Ian Campbell, who was vacationing in the Turkish seaside resort of Marmaris, was arrested on October 4, 2018, after swallowing a $40,000 diamond ring at a local jewellery store. Eyewitnesses later told police that Campbell swallowed the jewel in desperation, after realizing that he was going to be caught trying to steal it. Prosecutors instructed police to take the would-be-thief to the local hospital, where he was administered laxatives to help him “return” the 2.5-carat diamond ring by natural means. Turkish media tracked the “journey” of the jewel through Campbell’s stomach almost in real time, but sadly it got stuck and had to be surgically removed.
Photo: Pixabay/ColiN00B
The 54-year-old Irish man spent two days at the Marmaris State Hospital taking laxatives, drinking lost of water, running and jumping around to help the diamond ring pass through his digestive system, but it didn’t work. After 36 hours, the tourist agreed to undergo surgery to have the ring removed.
Turkish authorities opened a criminal case against Ian Campbell, and last week local media reported some pretty unbelievable quotes from his testimony to the prosecutors:
“I fell into trance when I saw the diamonds,” the Irish tourist said. “The jeweler was telling something to me but I couldn’t even hear him because I was in trance. When I was conscious again, I found myself hiding a diamond in my pocket and I swallowed it in panic as jewelers started to search it.”
Campbell also mentioned that the bizarre gesture had been caused by the tragedy of losing his wife. She had died in a car accident and her wedding ring was lost, so whenever he sees a ring he feels a strong urge to take it.
“I lost my wife in a traffic accident in Ireland. Her body could not be removed from the car, which fell into a lake, for days after the accident. Her diamond ring, our wedding ring, could not be found despite a search operation in the lake. This incident caused my obsession for diamond rings. Since then, whenever I see a diamond ring on display at jewelry shops, my wife comes to my mind,” the 25-year-old said. “I feel a strong urge to take those rings, especially the expensive ones with higher carat diamonds.”
Sadly for Ian Campbell, the prosecutors didn’t buy his explanation and he is now facing criminal charges. His court case is ongoing.
