A MAN went to get his watch fixed and walked out with an £8,000 diamond ring after an assistant gave it to him by mistake.

But the thief was caught three years later when the same assistant recognised him when he went back into the jewellers' shop.

Mohmmed Sidat admitted theft at Blackburn Magistrates' Court.

The court was told the assistant who served Sidat, 28, thought a brown envelope contained links from his watch strap. In fact it contained an 18ct white gold, diamond solitaire ring and the error was not detected until later in the day.

Sidat was seen on CCTV leaving the store but he was not identified until three years later when he walked back into the shop to inquire about a setting on a ring and was immediately recognised by the same assistant.

The court heard Sidat had kept the ring at his home for 12 months before pawning it for £450 to pay for a trip to India.

Sidat, of Copperfield Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to theft from Peter Jackson Jewellers in the town centre and was remanded on bail for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Scott Ainge, prosecuting, said it was accepted the shop assistant had handed over the ring by mistake and Sidat had not known what was in the envelope at the time.

"The jeweller has since been paid out by his insurance company," said Mr Ainge. Michael Blacklidge, defending, said: "The defendant has no previous convictions for dishonesty and says he is not a thief."

He said that at the time of the incident in 2004 Sidat had mental health problems and there could have been argument over whether he fully understood what had happened.

"However, when he pawned the ring 12 months later we have to accept that he knew it was not his and that in taking ownership of it the theft was made out," said Mr Blacklidge.

He said Sidat had been led to believe the ring was worth about £800 and had been lent £450 by the pawnbroker.

"He recalls getting a letter from the pawn shop warning him that he only had a month to redeem the pledge but he never bothered," said Mr Blacklidge.

Ordering a pre-sentence report the magistrates said they accepted the theft had not been pre-planned and was not "sophisticated."

Store director Peter Jackson said: "The assistant was not sacked as it was an unfortunate error. The vast majority of customers we have the pleasure of dealing with are honest and trustworthy.

"We are not talking about something petty here. It was very serious and while I accept that the opportunity was left open for him, any honest and decent person would have returned the ring.

"As this instance shows, if you do something like this you should always look over your shoulder."