Teenager loses his prosthetic hand

Teenager Jack Baker left his prosthetic hand gripped to handlebar of his motorcycle and went to his girlfriend for 10 minutes.

Photo: Teenager loses his prosthetic hand

When he came back outside two hours later, the hand was gone, apparently taken by a thief or a prankster who found it more interesting to make off with than the bike.

"I came out and found the hand was gone. I thought it was my girlfriend's parents messing about, but they said it wasn't them," said Baker, 19.

"I went for a look around, but I couldn't see my hand anywhere. There were no kids about and no one to ask if they had seen it. I ended up jumping on my bike and going home."

The hand disappeared last week in Bristol, the city in southwestern England where Baker lost his right arm in a head-on crash with a bus in May.

The prosthetic hand allowed him to ride his new, specially-adapted motorbike, and Baker said he may not be able to afford the 450 pounds (US$903, 662 EUR) it will cost to replace it.