$1.9 million Strad stolen while violinist checked her iPhone

[mrmando]

Link to the story here.

Does it suggest the three worked as a team? Yes.

Does it suggest a "planned professional theft"? I don't see how. The story's pretty bare on details, so please explain how it suggests a planned professional theft.

If the thieves sold it to a group of travelers (that's the new politically correct term for people who used to be called "tinkers" in Ireland), then what do you suppose they got for it? Maybe a hundred quid if they were lucky? Stealing a priceless instrument and having no better fence for it than travelers -- that doesn't suggest much of a plan. And according to the article, the thieves were nabbed in part because they were captured on CCTV footage -- that doesn't suggest professionalism.

[journeybear]

Not much in the way of details. Perhaps more will come out at the trial. I don't recall seeing that half hour window of opportunity before. That is a perishingly long time to be inattentive to your prized instrument!

The mention of the travelers is almost funny. I've heard they used to get blamed for almost every unexplainable crime or misdeed. I know they're not the same as the gypsies, but I still get a wry smile imagining this violin being played around a campfire somewhere, bringing a good bit of joy to all there. Not the perfect ending to this story, perhaps, but a charming one nonetheless.

[MikeEdgerton]

I think it was a crime of opportunity.

[John Flynn]

I suggest that having three thieves, instead of one, suggests some planning. It suggests some teamwork. Also, while I don't suggest that all Travelers are thieves, it is well documented that a subset of them are, and the ones that are, are organized into teams and they very good at what they do. They even have a network for fencing property.

However, the fact that the cameras saw them suggests to me that they did NOT know how valuable the instrument was. Why? If they were stealing an average violin, the police would not have launched as thorough a manhunt based on the camera footage. If they laid low for a while, or moved to another hunting-ground, they would have gotten away with it, despite being on camera. So that suggests they did not target this musician.

But we don't have all the facts yet, so all of us just dabbling in conjecture at this point.

[Jill McAuley]

Not much in the way of details. Perhaps more will come out at the trial. I don't recall seeing that half hour window of opportunity before. That is a perishingly long time to be inattentive to your prized instrument!

The mention of the travelers is almost funny. I've heard they used to get blamed for almost every unexplainable crime or misdeed. I know they're not the same as the gypsies, but I still get a wry smile imagining this violin being played around a campfire somewhere, bringing a good bit of joy to all there. Not the perfect ending to this story, perhaps, but a charming one nonetheless.

Romantic thought there journeybear, but if it was indeed fenced to travelers I doubt it's being played around a campfire anywhere -more likely it's no longer even in the UK by now. And I would reckon that if it is in the traveling community then the folks who have it know exactly what they've got, given the amount of press this story has received.

Cheers,
Jill

[Ed Goist]

Boy, this story has novel/movie written all over it...And the plot just keeps getting juicier.
Okay, here's my casting picks for the film:
Zhang Ziyi as violinist Min-Jin Kym
Colin Farrell as 'Traveler' & Thief John Michael Maughan
Jude Law as Detective Inspector Andy Rose
Alan Rickman as 'The Traveler Patriarch' and the mastermind behind the theft...
Oh, and Alfred Molina as Antonio Stradivari, seen in flashbacks focusing on a sub-plot about the making of the stolen violin.
Lot's of potential here!

[mrmando]

Ah yes. Well, "planned" in the sense of "let's hang out at Euston Station and see what we can boost," and "professional" in the sense of "this is what I do for a living," to be sure.

[John Flynn]

Boy, this story has novel/movie written all over it...And the plot just keeps getting juicier.
Okay, here's my casting picks for the film:
Zhang Ziyi as violinist Min-Jin Kym
Colin Farrell as 'Traveler' & Thief John Michael Maughan
Jude Law as Detective Inspector Andy Rose
Alan Rickman as 'The Traveler Patriarch' and the mastermind behind the theft...
Oh, and Alfred Molina as Antonio Stradivari, seen in flashbacks focusing on a sub-plot about the making of the stolen violin.
Lot's of potential here!

I nominate Martin Stillion as the "Omniscient Narrator!"

[SternART]

I know they're not the same as the gypsies, but I still get a wry smile imagining this violin being played around a campfire somewhere, bringing a good bit of joy to all there. Not the perfect ending to this story, perhaps, but a charming one nonetheless.

Ever see the movie The Red Violin? Worth renting........

[delsbrother]

Colin Farrell as 'Traveler' & Thief John Michael Maughan

Ehm, shouldn't Brad Pitt reprise his role?

[journeybear]

Romantic thought there journeybear, but if it was indeed fenced to travelers I doubt it's being played around a campfire anywhere -more likely it's no longer even in the UK by now. And I would reckon that if it is in the traveling community then the folks who have it know exactly what they've got, given the amount of press this story has received.

Yes, this was quite the flight of fancy. I was thinking more along the lines of it being boosted by travelers and then staying within the community, being played by grandda or uncle around the campfire, hiding in plain sight, as it were. And no doubt they would know what they had, and that it couldn't be sold, until the heat died down (and even then ... ). But meanwhile, it sure would make a dandy present!

[Jill McAuley]

Yes, this was quite the flight of fancy. I was thinking more along the lines of it being boosted by travelers and then staying within the community, being played by grandda or uncle around the campfire, hiding in plain sight, as it were. And no doubt they would know what they had, and that it couldn't be sold, until the heat died down (and even then ... ). But meanwhile, it sure would make a dandy present!

Lot of traveler halting sites near my place back home - don't tend to see a lot of campfires, but there does be a fair amount of satellite dishes in view!

Cheers,
Jill

[journeybear]

Too much Hollywood influence, I guess. LOL! Happy Christmas!

Be that as it may, I may start writing a screenplay.

[barney 59]

I would think the Travelers have a well developed fencing operation already in place. They are after all professionals. If the people who are on camera decide to take the hit for the community the violin might be gone for good or they could negotiate with the insurance company ,get a walk and get a nice bonus for their efforts to boot. The insurance co. now that they are aware that the "gypsies" have it must be a little concerned that it could disappear forever and that they are looking at a substantial payout. There used to be quite a few Travelers around when I was a kid, usually trying to sell us inferior paving for the driveway or trying to sell reroof the house scams. After a visit from them it was considered wise by my elders to lock the doors at night.

[Don Christy]

I think it highly, highly unlikely that this was a targeted crime. If I'm a professional thief and you offer me, say, half a million to steal a $1.9 million Strad, I will go directly to Curtin & Alf, or someone else who makes good Strad copies, buy a copy for $40K, bring it to you, keep the change, and disappear. And there you are with what you think is a stolen Strad. You sure as heck can't tell anybody that you have one. Which means you can't seek any advice from any expert on how to protect your investment. You can't get it insured. And you can't have it authenticated. How many private collectors do you suppose there are who would take that big of a risk?

I generally agree w/ MrMando re likely crime of opportunity. But if it was a targeted crime, there's a flaw in your copy scheme. If it's a targeted theft, there NEEDS to be a high profile theft. If the theft isn't reported, then the "private collector" will definitely have you in concrete shoes.

[Ed Goist]

I would think the Travelers have a well developed fencing operation already in place. They are after all professionals. ...snip...

Oh yea...Don't mess with Alan Rickman! (see post # 56)

[ColdBeerGoCubs]

I'm still amazed that someone would be that careless with an instrument of that magnitude. But after spending a couple hours in the big shopping district around here the other night I guess something should never surprise me.

[Ed Goist]

I'm still amazed that someone would be that careless with an instrument of that magnitude. But after spending a couple hours in the big shopping district around here the other night I guess something should never surprise me.

Agreed...If I had an instrument worth more than $10K I'd probably handcuff to myself everywhere I went. There would only be three statuses for such an instrument in my possession: Secured in my domicile; in its case, handcuffed to me; and being played by me...end of list.

[barney 59]

Group of three --someone watching out,someone creates a distraction and the quickest doing a snatch and grab. The thief is a 100 feet away disappearing into the crowd so fast that even if you notice it right away they are already gone. If you give pursuit someone is likely to be positioned to block you. Then, of course, there is the problem that might come up if you actually did catch them and attempt to apprehend the thief or forcefully get your thing back. The fact is they are in a position to just take whatever you have on you off of you at will. The fact that they prefer to "liberate" your possessions quietly and under the radar is an added bonus for both parties in the event.

[mrmando]

If the theft isn't reported, then the "private collector" will definitely have you in concrete shoes.

Well, in the present case the theft was hushed up for a week by the transit police. If I have a COD arrangement with the buyer, a week gives me ample time to get out of the country and change my identity before the buyer suspects something.

[delsbrother]

Oh yea...Don't mess with Alan Rickman! (see post # 56)

If I was writing the script with your cast I would look for a twist in the fourth act involving Zhang Ziyi..

[mandroid]

+1 for cases with shoulder straps, so you can use both hands without setting the case down.

[mrmando]

Quick grabs are easily prevented. When traveling in Europe, the wife and have used, at various times, a cable lock, bungee cords, or even a simple carabiner to secure luggage on trains, in stations, or in other public places. Any way of attaching the strap to a stationary object will remove the thief's ability to grab and go. Ms. Kym might well have prevented the theft of her Strad simply by putting her chair leg through the shoulder strap on the case.

[mrmando]

A few details came out at trial & sentencing of the thieves back in March.

It was a crime of opportunity; the three men who took the violin said they thought they were grabbing a laptop. They took the violin to an Internet cafe the next day to look up what they had, and tried to sell it on the spot to someone there for 100 quid. They claim the violin was later stolen from them in Tottenham.

I don't necessarily believe the thieves' claim that they thought it was a laptop, nor that it was stolen from them later, but the part about the Internet cafe was apparently corroborated in court.

[barney 59]

I'm still amazed that someone would be that careless with an instrument of that magnitude. But after spending a couple hours in the big shopping district around here the other night I guess something should never surprise me.

I dunno, people lose their kids all the time! Crowded places are really distracting and those snatch thieves are pretty good at their trade. Try taking a trip on an Indian train, I got to the point of wearing mirrored sunglasses day and night so no one could tell if I was looking or not, worked pretty good too!