Joy for musician reunited with £200,000 violin

A RENOWNED c l a s s i c a l musi c i a n today said she “couldn’t be happier” after she was reunited with her stolen £200,000 violin.

Krysia Osostowicz, 56, was on her way back from a studio session at Radio 3 when the instrument was taken outside Brixton Tube station on Tuesday as she tried to unlock her bicycle.

Ms Osostowicz, who was taught by Yehudi Menuhin alongside conductor Sir Simon Rattle, said having the 18thcentury Francesco Goffriller violin stolen was “like losing her voice”.

The instrument was recovered after a woman tried to pawn it for £50, a tiny fraction of its value. A worker at a Cash Converters branch in Streatham became suspicious when the woman was unable to unlock the case.

Ms Osostowicz, a Guildhall School of Music and Drama professor, had made an appeal for its return in the Standard yesterday. She also posted her plea on social media, where it was shared by thousands of friends and fellow musicians, and left leaflets at pawnbrokers and second-hand shops in the area. She said: “He [the worker] called the police and managed to keep her at the store until they arrived. I’m very grateful, I couldn’t be happier to have it back.

“I’d never have forgiven myself if I never saw it again, to me it’s like the return of a lost child. Musicians don’t earn very much following their passion and they usually require a lot of help to purchase their instrument.”

A Met spokesman said: “A 36-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.

“She was later released on bail pending further enquiries. She is due to return on a date in September.”