Violin Dealer Plucks Heartstrings

A violin dealer who fiddled a customer out of �4,000 because his company was failing is suffering a mental breakdown due to his financial problems, a court heard today.

Stephen Lyall was said to have plunged into the depths of despair and lost the only thing in life he loved after Lyall Violin Restorer Dealer and Valuer closed in Acle last year.

Claims of Lyall's inner turmoil emerged as he appeared at Yarmouth Magistrates' Court to be sentenced to carry out 300 hours unpaid work for stealing �4,000 from a customer.

Lyall, 48, of Eastern Avenue, Caister, had earlier pleaded guilty to theft after he admitted taking a violin from William Moorhouse and putting it up for sale and keeping the money to himself.

Mr Moorhouse wanted to sell the Italian 19th century violin, which was given to him as a child, so he could raise funds to install double glazing at his 86-year-old mother's home.

Lyall had been warned he faced jail but he remained free after his solicitor Annette Hall argued his long running entrenched mental health problems and previous suicidal tendencies had paid a part in the theft to try and keep his now defunct business afloat.

Ms Hall said: “He had a complete and utter breakdown effectively. He is still suffering today. The only love of his life was his business and that has been lost.

“There are no words that my client can offer that can make up for what he has done. He is absolutely mortified by what has happened.”

Ms Hall said that to help Lyall escape “the depths of despair” and his on-going “nightmare” he should be made to carry out unpaid work instead of going to jail.

Lyall had been given the violin to sell on a ten per cent commission basis in 2006.

Mr Moorhouse found out at the end of last year that Lyall had in fact sold the instrument for �4,000 to a professional musician and kept the money to himself.

In a victim impact statement Mr Moorhouse said: “It has been an upsetting time. Both my mother and I have been stunned by Mr Lyall's actions.”

As well as ordering Lyall to carry out 300 hours unpaid work, magistrates also ordered him to pay �1,000 compensation to Mr Moorhouse. No order for court costs was made as Lyall is on benefits.