£1.2m Violin Stolen From Sandwich Shop Is Found

A violin worth £1.2m that was stolen from a top musician in 2010 while she was eating in a London sandwich shop has been found.

Police said the 1696 Antonio Stradivarius instrument was recovered from a property in the Midlands last week and is now being held at a secure location in the capital after it was verified by experts.

The 300-year-old instrument and two bows worth £67,000 had been taken from internationally-acclaimed violinist Min-Jin Kym by opportunists while she was in a Pret a Manger cafe at Euston station.

The violin, intact and with some very minor damage, was discovered in its case along with the missing £62,000 Peccatte bow and a bow made by the School of Bazin, valued at more than £5,000.

Korean-born Ms Kym, 35, said: "It's been a very difficult journey; I still can't quite believe what has happened. The loss of the instrument, and the acute responsibility I felt, was at the back of my mind at every moment of the day.

"I'd played the instrument since I was a teenager, so it'd been a huge part of my identity for many years.

"The theft was a crushing blow and the detectives in the case had always, quite rightly, been very careful not to give me false hope. When they told me the good news, it didn't feel real.

Min-Jin Kym performs on stage. Pic: www.min-jin.com

"I've now gone from devastation to the other end of the scale - an incredible feeling of elation that hasn't left me. I'm still feeling the butterflies in my stomach and am on cloud nine."

Following a public appeal for information and the release of CCTV images on the BBC's Crimewatch, John Maughan, 32, and two teenagers were later sentenced in connection with the theft in 2011 but the violin and bows had not been recovered - until now.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Taylor, who led the hunt, said: "We're absolutely delighted to have recovered the Stradivarius violin after a long and very complex investigation.

"Though it took some time to successfully locate and recover the violin, we were confident it had remained in the UK.

"I always maintained that its rarity and distinctiveness would make any attempt to sell it extremely difficult, if not futile, because established arts and antiques dealers would easily recognise it as stolen property."

The violin's recovery comes as BTP launches Operation Magnum, a long-term initiative to reduce thefts, including pickpocketing, snatch thefts and luggage thefts, at railway stations across the country.

The operation aims to disrupt and deter thieves who target unsuspecting commuters and tourists, while also educating members of the public about how they can best look after their property on trains and at stations.

Louise Deacon, from insurance group Lark, said: "We are looking forward to the outcome of our experts' assessment on the condition of the instrument so we can then liaise with Ms Kym with regards to purchasing back the Stradivari."

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