Francesca Rudkin: The Kiwi on the world stage this week... but not for good reasons

Sometimes I wonder what the world thinks of us.   Not in an insecure way – as in, we need the world’s admiration to validate how wonderful we are. But when I see the local stories which break through into international media I do wonder if the world thinks we’re a bit odd.   Many international news outlets this week followed the story of a Kiwi jewellery thief who allegedly thought the best way to steal a $33,500 Fabergé locket was to swallow it in the shop. I’m not sure if this was the plan all along, or whether it was a spontaneous plan B after plan A went wrong. But he was arrested minutes after the alleged theft – so regardless of which plan it was, it wasn’t a smart one.   You may wonder why someone would intentionally swallow a foreign or non-digestible object, and the obvious answer in this case would be to avoid arrest.    But, it’s been done before – so maybe we’re not so odd!   Earlier this year, a thief posing as a buyer for a professional US athlete stole two pairs of diamond earrings valued at just under US$1.4m from a Florida jeweller. In an effort to avoid arrest he swallowed the earrings, and then asked if he would be charged for what was in his stomach.   The alleged Kiwi thief may have watched the TV show 'Joan' about notorious UK jewel thief Joan Hannington, who liked to swallow her loot.   It’s a risky way to acquire jewellery. It’s a perilous journey travelling through the oesophagus and the uniquely shaped stomach – which is apparently where mobile phones get stuck. Yes, apparently this is something prisoners do, including one who swallowed four mobile phones.   Then the object has to get through 12 feet of small intestine before entering the large intestine, and avoid perforating the bowel. The one reassuring thing for a jewellery swallowing thief is that metals such as gold, silver and many of the precious stones aren’t affected by stomach acid.   After our Kiwi thief was picked up, he was given a medical assessment and a police officer was assigned to constantly monitor him. For a week.   The good news is that on Friday the limited edition item was recovered without requiring medical intervention, and a photo of a gloved hand holding a gold chain with price tag attached was released. Good on the police, the goods recovery operation was a success.   What we are yet to establish is whether this now famous pendant is worth more or less after its globally publicised journey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.