Musician reunited with her stolen £200,000 violin, which a woman tried to pawn for £50

A musician today told of her joy at being reunited with her stolen violin after a woman tried to pawn the treasured instrument at a branch of Cash Converters for £50.

Krysia Osostowicz, 56, launched a desperate appeal after the 18th-century Francesco Goffriller was swiped as she set it on the pavement to unlock her bicycle outside Brixton Tube station on Tuesday evening.

She was called by a worker at the store in Streatham yesterday, who became suspicious when a woman tried to sell him a violin but was unable to unlock the case.

She had asked for for less than 4,000 times its £200,000 value.

Ms Osostowicz, who had dropped off a “missing” leaflet at the shop in Streatham High Road as she toured second-hand shops and dealers the previous day, told the Standard: “I explained how to unlock it and he called the police and managed to keep her at the store until they arrived.

“I’m very grateful, I couldn’t be happier to have it back.”

The mother-of-two, who trained alongside conductor Sir Simon Rattle and is a Professor at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, was returning home from a BBC recording session when the violin was swiped outside the busy station at 7pm.

She said: “I’m incredibly grateful to be out of this terrible situation. I’d never have forgiven myself if I never saw it again, to me it’s like the return of a lost child.

“Musicians don’t earn very much following their passion and they usually require a lot of help to purchase their instrument.”

A Met spokesman said: “Shortly before 11am on Thursday, police were called to Cash Converters in Streatham High Road to reports of a woman attempting to sell a violin.

“Officers attended and a 36-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.

“She was taken into custody at a south London police station and later released on bail pending further enquiries. She is due to return on a date in September.”