After 47 days of refusing to go to the bathroom for police, a U.K. man’s prolific poo strike has finally ended.
Police say 24-year-old Lamarr Chambers was arrested on Jan. 17 in Essex, England, and was charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
They thought he’d hidden the drugs in his body. They figured it was just a matter of, well, waiting.
Well, they did wait. And wait. And the world watched.
Police kept a rapt public up to date for several weeks, posting regular tweets about the suspect and tagging it #poowatch.
That last statement never came. Throughout the whole ordeal, Chambers continued to eat as normal and was given regular medical attention, police said.
“He is being more than adequately looked after by Essex Police. He has been offered fluids and food, prosecutor Kathy Wilson told Mirror UK at the time. “His lights are dimmed at night and he is being reviewed every 24 hours. If he requests to go to the hospital he is taken there.”
Police asked a judge to allow them to detain him again and again as they waited — in vain — for what they thought was inevitable. Still, no drugs appeared.
As speculation and concern about the detainee’s health mounted, Essex Police told Time they take the safety of all their detainees seriously.
“In instances where individuals are suspected of ingesting drugs or having substances inside them they are subject to regular health checks, including hospital visits, ultrasound scans and x-ray,” a spokesperson told the site. “They are also constantly monitored by a minimum of two officers whilst they remain in custody.”
Ater 38 days, Chambers’ lawyer said the suspect was “in an arena of risk of death,” according to the BBC. The previous record for preventing the evacuation of the bowels was believed to be only 33 days, the site reported.
Chambers kept on for almost 10 more days, but police were finally forced to release him on March 5. He had lasted a full 47 days. Twitter users who had been following the news from the beginning expressed their amazement.
Police discontinued the original charges against Chambers but immediately rearrested him on lesser charges and released him on bail, reported Metro UK. He was driven by squad car to a hospital for treatment along with a medical professional, Sky News reported.
This story was originally published March 09, 2018 3:43 PM.