Orchestral reunions in the dark
Violin returned to musician in late-night car park handover
HE had played his £250,000 violin for the soundtrack of James Bond and Mission: Impossible films.
But when Stephen Morris had to get the 310-year-old instrument back after leaving it on a train, he ended up feeling like a real-life spy himself.
Ten days after the musician, 51, thought he had seen the last of the antique violin, it was handed back to him in a deserted Waitrose car park late on Friday night – by the very man believed to have taken it.
Six plain-clothes British Transport Police officers lurked in the shadows in case the drop-off went wrong. But once the instrument was back in its owner’s hands, they let the culprit go without approaching him. Now Mr Morris, who has played with stars including David Bowie and Stevie Wonder, has spoken about his relief at the violin’s return. He said: ‘I was so delighted – and it was in tune. It couldn’t have ended in a happier way.’
The violin was made in 1709 by master craftsman David Tecchler – whose reputation rivals that of Stradivarius. Mr Morris bought it in 2003 at a Christie’s auction and had it restored. It is now worth almost as much as he paid for his house in Sydenham, south-east London.
The saga began on Tuesday, October 22, after he had been using it in a recording session. At 10.58pm he got on the Orpington train at Victoria with his bicycle and his white instrument case, which contained the violin and two valuable bows.
But, crucially, he forgot to take his usual security measure to ensure he did not leave the violin behind when he got off at Penge East. Mr Morris said: ‘I’ve always had a system where I stick my leg through the strap of the case so I can’t get off the train without it being attached to me. But I didn’t do that on that evening. I think it was tiredness. It was actually only the following morning I realised [the violin] wasn’t around. I had a sick feeling.’
After fruitlessly contacting railway lost property, Mr Morris turned to his old friend, BTP officer-turnedauthor Mike Pannett, for help. He liaised with former colleagues and Mr Morris began a PR blitz – with the Daily Mail covering the story.
After a trawl of security camera footage, BTP found CCTV images of a man carrying the violin off the train at Bromley South, four stops after Mr Morris got off.
One of the images was printed in the Mail and within hours a man calling himself ‘Gene’ – suspected of being the man pictured on CCTV with the violin – had contacted Mr Morris via social media and offered to return the instrument. Mr Morris agreed to meet him in the nearby supermarket car park.
Recalling the meeting, Mr Morris said: ‘He said he was sorry he had put me through so much stress.’
BTP said it was decided there was no reason to arrest the man who handed the violin back, as there was no evidence of him trying to sell it on or seek payment for its return.
‘I was so delighted – and it was in tune’