A classical musician who plays with one of the country’s leading chamber orchestras had his oboe snatched in a “distraction theft” at St Pancras station.
Peter Facer, 38, compared the theft of his instrument to “losing a limb” - and has bemoaned the "infuriating" response he received from the police.
Mr Facer, a member of Britten Sinfonia, was travelling back from his former oboe teacher’s retirement party when the theft occurred on June 14.
He was leaning against railings outside the station entrance carrying a coffee and two bags, one containing a rare oboe d’amore and the other clothes and a pair of AirPods.
He was approached by a young man who asked him for directions to Euston station, which Mr Facer repeated multiple times as the man claimed to have limited English.
As the man walked away, Mr Facer looked down to see his possessions had vanished.
He told The Times that he thought the man must have had an accomplice who sneaked up behind him while asked for direction.
He added: “They have no idea the sentimental attachment that musicians have to their instruments. It's like losing a limb.
“When they steal something like that it's psychologically damaging, which is far worse than the monetary or career inconvenience. And maybe they should realise that, dig deep down, find some compassion and just return the instrument for that reason.”
Mr Facer then found two British Transport Police (BTP) officers - who told him as the theft happened outside the station, it was a matter for the Met Police.
He said: “To be honest, they were quite infuriating. As soon as I told them that I was maybe two steps outside the station, they said, ‘oh, no, that’s not our responsibility because we only cover train stations and you were just outside the station.
“I said: ‘It happened three minutes ago. They’re probably still in the station somewhere’. But I had to log the theft online with the Met Police.”
Mr Facer searched St Pancras for the instrument by himself and filed an online report with the Met Police, but the oboe is still missing over a month later.
The three-year-old oboe is made from cocobolo wood, a light brown colour with silver keys, and is used in specific 17th-century and contemporary modern repertoire.
It was last seen in a black fabric case, about 40cm long and 20cm wide. It displays the Howarth London logo, and the serial number is 3849.
BTP said: “This theft occurred on Metropolitan Police jurisdiction, so details on the report and the ongoing investigation should be directed to them.”
When approached for comment, the Met told the Standard that they do not respond to media requests to individual offences of theft not involving violence, shoplifting, antisocial behaviour or criminal damage.
It comes after David Lopez Ibanez, a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra, had a 285-year old Italian violin stolen from a pub in Islington in February last year
The theft of the instrument, which was worth more than £150,000, was described by Ibáñez as “a musician’s worst nightmare”, and “the loss and grief takes a while to get over”.
Mr Facer said: “I know so many professional musicians who have had instruments stolen over the years. A friend of mine had an instrument stolen from her from a Pret a few years ago and never had it returned. It’s annoyingly common, unfortunately.
“But it’s not very easy for thieves to sell classical instruments. They all have serial numbers. And because the community is fairly tight-knit, people often spot suspect listings and report them or log stolen instruments on databases.”
