A British holidaymaker who tried to leave Pompeii with pilfered stones is facing a fine - but will avoid the 'curse' of the ruined city thanks to Italian police.
The 51-year-old Scottish man was held by officers on the way out of the buried Roman settlement and was found with six fragments of stolen stone.
The man was seemingly not aware that previous light-fingered tourists who have left Pompeii with stolen objects have ended up repenting years later, claiming their thievery has brought them woeful misfortune.
According to The Times, a police spokesman said: 'This week we caught a Scotsman before he could get away but we may have saved him from the curse.'
The man, who was not named by police, was allegedly seen by his tour guide putting loose stones into his rucksack as he toured the city, which was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.
