Man arrested over theft of £150,000 violin stolen from pub in Islington

A man has been arrested after a high-value violin worth over £150,000 was stolen from a pub in Islington earlier this year.

The 18th-century string instrument, which belonged to a member of London's Philharmonia Orchestra, was taken on the evening of Tuesday, February 18, from The Marquess Tavern on Canonbury Street.

Met Police said a 43-year-old man was arrested on June 25 on suspicion of theft, the BBC reported.

He was taken into custody and later released on bail pending further inquiries.

However, the violin has not been recovered.

The violin's owner David Lopez Ibanez previously told the BBC the instrument, made in Florence in 1740, was his “voice” and that he carried it around with him everywhere.

"It becomes your voice, really, so aside of the actual monetary value of it, to me it really was priceless,” he said.

The violin has a small heart-shaped cut-out on the back of the scroll at the top of the instrument.

“That's a very distinctive feature, it doesn't come up often, it's very rare,” Mr Ibanez said.

He has appealed to members of the public to look out for the violin if they come across it in a pawn shop or antiques market.