Tourist unburdens herself of castle curse

A New Zealand tourist who stole a stone from a Welsh castle has air-mailed it back because she believes she had been cursed.

The woman, who gave her name only as Conway, sent a chunk of 700-year- old masonry from Conwy Castle in North Wales to the Royal Mail in a bid to lift a "jinx" that had descended since she took it. In her accompanying letter, she said had become fascinated by the "majestic ruin" of Conwy castle. "One of the enormous arches in the Great Hall had apparently recently fallen and its pieces had been stacked beneath it. I longed to have a piece of history to take home and `liberated' the enclosed piece of masonry," she said.

But almost as soon as she left the castle, she was beset by bad luck. Flights to New Zealand were booked solid, and she had to wait for days at the airport. On arrival home, she suffered numerous health and relationship problems. "My savings have dried up, my car has broken down. My wages have been cut dramatically and workmates are far from matey now. It has become plain to me that to take some of Conwy from Conwy I have asked for some heavy trouble," she wrote.

"I entrust the rock to you - confident that once it is safely back in the castle it will settle down and leave me in peace."