A £250,000 violin accidentally left in the luggage rack of a train has been stolen, police have said.
Stephen Morris, 51, was left "devastated" when he realised he had not taken his 310-year-old violin with him when he got off the London to Orpington service at Penge East on Tuesday last week.
Mr Morris’s violin was one of only a few made by master craftsman David Tecchler in 1709.
The musician was guest leading the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in two concerts with Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli at the weekend, and had to borrow another instrument from his wife so he could perform.
On Wednesday, British Transport Police said another man had taken the violin as the train approached Bromley South. He then got on a connecting train to St Mary Cray.
The force has released a CCTV image of a man it would like to speak to.
The musician had appealed for its safe return in a Standard interview, saying it was "devastating to lose the instrument I've been playing for 20 years".
He said last week: “I searched for the right violin for quite a few years - it was a long process. I found this one in Christie's rare sting auction and had it wonderfully restored.
“It’s a tool of the trade but it becomes a part of your body. If you change instruments it very strange, you don’t know where anything is anymore.
“The way the strings vibrate to make music - it is all different.”
Mr Morris, who has played on film scores including The Lord Of The Rings and James Bond, and recorded with David Bowie and Stevie Wonder, will continue to use another violin for his forthcoming concerts if his own cannot be found.
He added: “Fortunately my wife is an excellent violinist and I have been able to borrow one from her. It got me out of a difficult spot but it is not the same.
“I have quite a few solos on this tour and it will be a bit of an adventure thinking ‘what will come out next’.”
David Tecchler was part of the renowned Roman School of Violin Making in the 17th century, and was considered to be the institution's leading violin and cello maker.
Anyone with information or who has seen the violin, which was in a white case, can call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 1900092343.
