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12/08/2008
'No Place Like G-Home' For Footloose Leprechaun
A stolen garden gnome has been returned to his owner after visiting 12 countries with his 'gnome-napper".
Missing leprechaun Murphy turned up at his owner Eve Stuart-Kelso's home after his worldwide tour.
Murphy was not alone though; he had a "beautiful" bound photo album to show his owner his exploits of abseiling and even taking a dip at a Thailand beach.
He was also carrying a letter putting his world tour down to "itchy feet".
The album also shows the fearless gnome standing in a shark's mouth and riding a motorbike.
Some of the pictures also show a group of "mysterious" men, who could be the ones responsible for the "gnome-knap".
His trip included visits to South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Cambodia.
Murphy's travelling companion, referred to as The Bear, said he attracted unwanted attention from customs officials and took up a quarter of the party's luggage allowance.
"There's more to life than watching daily commuter traffic and allowing passing cats to urinate on you," the letter said.
The peculiar crime is reminiscent of French film Amelie starring Audrey Tatou in which a gnome belonging to Amelie's father is taken around the world and photographed to show him how much he is missing out on life.
Mrs Stuart-Kelso said "it's a bit of mischief" but "at least he hasn't been put through a window".
She said that Murphy was missing his feet which was "no real surprise given that he was abseiling down a mountain," she said.
"It makes me smile to see all the nice people he met on his travels. It was a wonderful surprise and of course it's so nice to get some good news."
A Gloucestershire police spokeswoman said in a sobering comment that "any theft of a person's property, even if it is carried out as a joke, will be treated as a crime by police".
However, the delighted owner said that her grandchildren, Sophie, 14, Ellie, and Piers, 13, would be "thrilled" to hear of the gnome's adventures.
Echoing the light hearted nature of the story, a comment to the Sky news forum said: "Brilliant story - my frog needs a holiday, any offers?"
(DS)
Missing leprechaun Murphy turned up at his owner Eve Stuart-Kelso's home after his worldwide tour.
Murphy was not alone though; he had a "beautiful" bound photo album to show his owner his exploits of abseiling and even taking a dip at a Thailand beach.
He was also carrying a letter putting his world tour down to "itchy feet".
The album also shows the fearless gnome standing in a shark's mouth and riding a motorbike.
Some of the pictures also show a group of "mysterious" men, who could be the ones responsible for the "gnome-knap".
His trip included visits to South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Cambodia.
Murphy's travelling companion, referred to as The Bear, said he attracted unwanted attention from customs officials and took up a quarter of the party's luggage allowance.
"There's more to life than watching daily commuter traffic and allowing passing cats to urinate on you," the letter said.
The peculiar crime is reminiscent of French film Amelie starring Audrey Tatou in which a gnome belonging to Amelie's father is taken around the world and photographed to show him how much he is missing out on life.
Mrs Stuart-Kelso said "it's a bit of mischief" but "at least he hasn't been put through a window".
She said that Murphy was missing his feet which was "no real surprise given that he was abseiling down a mountain," she said.
"It makes me smile to see all the nice people he met on his travels. It was a wonderful surprise and of course it's so nice to get some good news."
A Gloucestershire police spokeswoman said in a sobering comment that "any theft of a person's property, even if it is carried out as a joke, will be treated as a crime by police".
However, the delighted owner said that her grandchildren, Sophie, 14, Ellie, and Piers, 13, would be "thrilled" to hear of the gnome's adventures.
Echoing the light hearted nature of the story, a comment to the Sky news forum said: "Brilliant story - my frog needs a holiday, any offers?"
(DS)
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