Why did Jane cook John's wallet?
Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever put your trousers in the washing machine
and then remembered there was a large bank note in your back pocket? When you rescued your
trousers, did you find the note was whiter than white?
People who live in Britain needn't despair when they make mistakes like this (and a lot
of people do )! Fortunately for them, the Bank of England has a team called Mutilated
Ladies which deals with claims from people who fed their money to a machine or to their
dog. Dogs, it seems, love to chew up money! A recent case concerns Jane Butlin whose
fiance, John, runs a successful furniture business. John had a very good day and put his
wallet containing ￡3,000 into the microwave oven for safekeeping. Then he and Jane went
horse-riding. When they got home, Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven and
without realizing it, cooked her fiance's wallet as well. Imagine their dismay when they
found a beautifully-cooked wallet and notes turned to ash! John went to his bank manager
who sent the remains of wallet and the money to the special department of the Bank of
England in Newcastle: the Mutilated Ladies! They examined the remains and John got all
his money back. So long as there's something to identify, we will give people their money
back,' said a spokeswoman for the Bank. Last year, we paid ￡1.5 million on 21,000
claims.'