British tourist arrested after 'swallowing stolen £100k diamond' before flight



A British backpacker was arrested in Australia and is accused of stealing a rare pink diamond from a jewellery shop and swallowing it.

Matthew Osborne, 29, allegedly stole the £100,000 stone from a jeweller in Cairns before escaping on his bike, The Times reports.

The tourist was arrested as he tried to board a flight from Melbourne to New Zealand.

Police used CCTV footage and fingerprints to identify Osborne.

The diamond is yet to be recovered and while officers believe he may have swallowed it, they doubt it is still inside him after X-rays failed to show the stone inside him.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror a police spokesman said: "Detectives will escort the man back to Cairns later today.

"He is expected to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court tomorrow charged with entering premises and stealing property of a value greater than 5,000 Australian dollars (£2,699)."

Jeweller Keith Bird told the Brisbane Times the diamond had been in the shop for nine years: "We had a lady in tears a few days ago because she said she'd always wanted to buy the stone."



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