A man who stole an antique £300,000 viola left on a train has walked free from court.
Stephen Tillyer, 49, denied taking the 16th Century instrument and two £3,500 bows in its case but was today handed a six-month suspended sentence for theft after a trial.
Footage released by transport police shows Tillyer walking up and down a carriage of the London to Dover train scouring the luggage racks for anything forgotten by passengers.
He spots the instrument and after checking he is alone he slings it over his shoulder – along with a blue rucksack later found to belong to a 12-year-old schoolboy.
British Transport Police's Det Const Bob Gee, who led the investigation, said: “This case should serve as a stark warning to anyone who even considers removing lost property from a train with the intention of keeping it for themselves.
“Items left behind on a train should always be handed in to train staff or a lost property office – if in doubt, leave the item for a member of staff to recover.”
The musician “quickly” realised he had left his viola on the train and called the police. The train was searched at Dover but Tillyer had already made off with it.
Full CCTV records showed Tillyer walking up and down through six carriages and taking both the valuable instrument and the blue rucksack, which contained the boy’s homework.
He was then seen walking “rapidly” away from staff instead of handing the items in.
He was caught when officers, lying in wait in the hope he would make the same journey two days later, arrested him at Folkestone West. He denied stealing the items, both of which were found in his car boot.
He was today handed a six-month sentence for taking the viola and a concurrent three-month sentence for taking the rucksack – both suspended for a year.
He must also pay £3,500 in court costs and do 150 hours’ community service.
