A £40,000 bassoon which was stolen when a member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra left it on a train has been found behind a tree after The Times highlighted the musician’s plight.
Stuart Russell, 40, had been on his way to teach pupils at Roedean School, near Brighton, in between performances at Glyndebourne, in East Sussex, when he put the instrument on the overhead luggage rack.
“I sort of dozed on the train and then woke up in a bit of a panic because I needed to get the bus. I left it on the train then,” he said. “I went back and realised but the train had already gone.”
A member of staff at the station checked the train but it was nowhere to be seen. CCTV footage revealed last month that a passenger who boarded afterwards had taken it. “I’ve had this one eight years and it was made for me,” Russell said, comparing the theft to “coming home and finding your house isn’t there”.
Two months and a British Transport Police appeal later, a man from Brighton was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the theft.
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Officers searched two addresses and found the instrument in its case, hidden behind a tree in a garden.
Russell, who teaches bassoon and reed making, said that he had to pull out of a performance of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale because of the theft. Howarth of London, an instrument shop, lent him one to get through the rest of the run at Glyndebourne.
Russell posted on Instagram: “I would like to say a huge thank you for everyone for spreading the word and for all your overwhelming support and kindness.”
The man who was arrested was taken to custody for questioning before being released under investigation.