Hairy Hamish goes from hamster wheel to cinema reel after in his own Great Escape

WHEN five-year-old Sarah Stokes smuggled Hamish the hamster to the cinema, little did she know he’d end up starring in his own Great Escape.
Excited by the screening of Alvin & the Chipmunks, the restless rodent jumped out of his owner’s bag and disappeared beneath the hundreds of seats in the darkened cinema.
The Pangbourne schoolgirl was so worried about telling anyone about returning hamster-less after Hamish’s illicit trip out that it was not until three days later that mum Holly Stokes realised he was not in his cage.
It was only after a top-to-bottom hunt through the house that young Sarah plucked up the courage to own up to smuggling Hamish to the movies.
After a flurry of phone calls to the Showcase cinema in Winnersh, staff found Hamish scurrying beneath the screen.
Mrs Stokes said: "We all thought he had escaped from his cage and was lost in the house but a few days later Sarah admitted she had taken him out for an adventure.
"Sarah's done a few things before but nothing to rival this."
She added: "Someone told me they have rat poison in places like the cinema so I thought he would have been dead but it seems they were animal lovers there."
Igor Geyer, duty manager at the Showcase, said: "I thought it was quite fun to find the hamster.I picked him up and put him in a box with plenty of paper to make him feel safe and comfortable.
"It was quite nice to have him as a pet for a short while but I'm glad we were able to unite the little girl with her hamster."
Hamish is now safely locked in his cage at hom.
"He's absolutely fine," said Holly.
"But Sarah is under threat of death from Rachel if she ever touches him again."