Diamond found in prison shower drain

A £13,000 (€19,000) diamond was found in a prison shower drain after an inmate told authorities he had swallowed and regurgitated the jewel each time he was transferred.

Bret Langford, 39, told authorities he threw the diamond into the shower stall just before he was searched 14 months ago, and it got stuck.

Police had never been able to find the two-carat diamond Langford was accused of grabbing from a jewellery shop in 2005.

Langford was charged with commercial burglary and, after several transfers, ended up at the jail in California, where he awaited trial.

This week, an investigator representing Langford told jail officials to search the jailhouse drains. Officials found the diamond wedged in a screen beneath one of the shower stalls.

Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino said he suspects Langford came forward as part of a bargain he made with prosecutors. Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney’s office, would not confirm such a deal.

Langford’s trial is set to begin on May 7, and the diamond is expected to be a featured piece of evidence.

Then it will be cleaned and returned to the shop.