In January 2004, Kirk Sutherland went shopping at Wilde & Fraser jewellers for an engagement ring for Fiz Brown in the hope that this would make her accept his proposal in preference to that offered by his rival, Tyrone Dobbs. Unfortunately, the salary of a kennel assistant didn't run to the price of the items on display and instead he stole his choice while assistant Sharon Jones was dealing with another customer.
The ring worked, Fiz accepted his proposal and Tyrone was devastated to have lost, until he saw CCTV footage of Kirk stealing the ring on a television crime show. He threatened Kirk with the police which caused him to go on the run, however Jack Duckworth had already persuaded Tyrone that grassing up his former best mate would be an action that he would regret for the rest of his life. Tyrone though had also told Fiz what Kirk had done and she made him join her on a return trip to the jewellers in disguise where "Brian" and his fiancée enquired after rings and secreted the stolen item back in the tray when Sharon's back was again turned. Kirk meanwhile was handing himself in to PC Boulter at Weatherfield Police Station as the "mastermind behind the heist" at the jewellers.
When he discovered the next day that the ring had been returned, Kirk went back to the station with Fiz to retract his statement, glibly telling the officer that he was doing so, not because a mistake had been made but because his girlfriend had returned the stolen item. An amused policeman pointed out that intelligence never was the predominant feature in the crime and confined the matter to arranging for Kirk to be issued with a formal warning.