Musician pays ransom for stolen sax

An award-winning musician whose beloved saxophone was stolen agreed to meet and pay off the thief who pinched it.

Soweto Kinch’s handmade 1963 Selmer Mark VI sax was taken from his car in Gloucester Way while he was at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in Islington in April. The Mercury Prize-nominated saxophonist and rapper put up posters in the area offering a cash reward for its return. He received a phone call last month demanding the ransom.

Kinch, 35, from Birmingham, was so keen to retrieve the instrument, he agreed to meet the thief without informing police. He said: “I probably should have considered my safety a bit more, but I was not going to wait around. Part of me was irritated but I was just so relieved it was there. It was emotional to be reunited with it.

“It’s just great to be back with something so familiar that’s such a big part of me.” He refused to say how much he paid for its return.