Musician Stephen Morris reunited with £250,000 violin he lost on train in Bromley
Published: 09:47, 03 November 2019
Updated: 10:07, 03 November 2019
A violin worth £250,000 which was left on a train has been returned to its owner.
Stephen Morris was reunited with the 310-year-old instrument in a supermarket car park in Beckenham after undertaking secret negotiations.
"I feel a bit battered and bruised. I haven't had a great deal of sleep since it went missing," the 51-year-old told the BBC.
Plain clothes officers attended the handover, in case anything went wrong.
The expensive violin was made by craftsman David Tecchler in 1709 and was left on the London to Orpington train on Friday, October 22.
Mr Morris has played on a number of famous films, including The Lord of the Rings and James Bond as well as recording with Stevie Wonder.
British Transport Police (BTP) recently released a CCTV image of a man they wanted to speak to, who was believed to have taken the instrument as the train approached Bromley South.
"It couldn't have ended in a happier way..." - Stephen Morris
The musician received a direct message on Twitter from someone telling him he recognised the man in the picture and meeting was set up with someone calling himself "Gene", which was not his real name.
Mr Morris and Gene met in a car park at around 10pm where the violin was handed over.
"It couldn't have ended in a happier way," the Sydenham resident said.
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Sean McPolin