A Hampstead musician has been left “devastated” after his prized violin was stolen during a burglary.

Ham & High: Daniel Chandler appeared in the Ham&High in 1992 aged 6 as a young violin player (right)Daniel Chandler appeared in the Ham&High in 1992 aged 6 as a young violin player (right) (Image: Archant)

Daniel Chandler, 31 has offered a £200 reward to anyone who gives him information that leads to the return of his instrument.

Mr Chandler told how he got a phone call from his partner who had returned home from work on December 18 to say their flat in Fitzjohn’s Avenue had been broken into.

His partner told him that his violin had been stolen during the raid.

He said: “I was devastated, it’s just the one thing I owned that is very special and personal to me.

“As soon as I got the call, the first thing I thought of was my violin. When my partner looked in the wreckage of the room, he realised it had gone.”

Mr Chandler was given the violin by his parents as a teenager in 2003, when he was attending classes at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The promising young musician once appeared in the Ham&High at the age of six when he played with the Primrose Hill suzuki group.

He had hoped to become professional but stopped playing at university.

The violin was made by Loughborough luthier Chris Johnson, with Johnson’s name engraved on the neck.

It has a large chin rest over the middle, rather than to one side. It was in a oblong case covered with black canvas.

Police told Mr Chandler it was unusual for a violin to be stolen.

He said: “According to the police officer, it’s very rare because they’re quite hard to sell on. It seems they will try and shift it without going to a dealer, as they’re quite good at checking who the owners are.”

The LSE Economics PhD student cannot afford to replace the violin with the same model.

“I couldn’t afford to buy a direct replacement, as it was originally a gift from my parents, but it’s priceless sentimentally to me,” he said.

He added: “I’d be so happy and grateful to have it back”

He urged anybody with information to contact police on 101, quoting crime reference 2339228/17 or by calling him on 07813 164 353.