11:34am Friday 19th October 2007
By Staff Reporter
A STAG party reveller had to convince airport authorities he was not an escaped convict after a prank left him in handcuffs.
Philip Daulby flew to Amsterdam with friends last Friday thinking that, as neither groom nor best man, he would be playing the party tricks rather than being the victim.
But following a drunken Saturday night, the 25-year-old found himself in handcuffs with the key probably thrown into a canal by a friend.
Philip, who lives in Greenmount, Bury, said the handcuffs were supposed to be used on the bridegroom, his friend John Wilson, from Newcastle.
"We were all very drunk and I ended up becoming handcuffed to one of the lads," he said.
His friend managed to free himself, but Philip was left with one cuff dangling from his wrist.
"Then the key disappeared," he said. "I think it was thrown into a canal.
"To make sure that I wouldn't become handcuffed to anything else, I locked the other cuff on the same left wrist. It was all my stupid fault."
The sheet metal worker ended up spending the rest of the weekend break in handcuffs and security officials at Amsterdam airport were less than amused.
While the rest of the party relaxed in the departure lounge, Philip was taken to side room to for questioning.
"They kept me there for half-an-hour, asking me what I was doing in the country," said Philip.
"They thought I was an escaped prisoner. I really thought I was going to miss the plane." After a return journey on Sunday night, in which he endured much laughter at his expense, he went to Whitefield fire station, where it took firefighters more than 30 minutes to remove the cuffs.
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