diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/inventorywindow.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/inventorywindow.cpp
index c1e202bc0..e5bf1f4b4 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/inventorywindow.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/inventorywindow.cpp
@@ -471,16 +471,18 @@ namespace MWGui
             MWBase::Environment::get().getScriptManager()->run (script, interpreterContext);
         }
 
-        if (script.empty() || ptr.getRefData().getLocals().getIntVar(script, "pcskipequip") == 0)
+        mSkippedToEquip = MWWorld::Ptr();
+        if (ptr.getRefData().getCount()) // make sure the item is still there, the script might have removed it
         {
-            boost::shared_ptr<MWWorld::Action> action = ptr.getClass().use(ptr);
-
-            action->execute (player);
+            if (script.empty() || ptr.getRefData().getLocals().getIntVar(script, "pcskipequip") == 0)
+            {
+                boost::shared_ptr<MWWorld::Action> action = ptr.getClass().use(ptr);
 
-            mSkippedToEquip = MWWorld::Ptr();
+                action->execute (player);
+            }
+            else
+                mSkippedToEquip = ptr;
         }
-        else
-            mSkippedToEquip = ptr;
 
         if (isVisible())
         {
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwworld/actionequip.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwworld/actionequip.cpp
index 147f22963..a6d6eef2b 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwworld/actionequip.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwworld/actionequip.cpp
@@ -52,7 +52,12 @@ namespace MWWorld
             }
         }
 
-        assert(it != invStore.end());
+        if (it == invStore.end())
+        {
+            std::stringstream error;
+            error << "ActionEquip can't find item " << object.getCellRef().getRefId();
+            throw std::runtime_error(error.str());
+        }
 
         // equip the item in the first free slot
         std::vector<int>::const_iterator slot=slots_.first.begin();