The moment a callous thief stole a homeless man’s guitar has gone viral after it was caught on camera.
47-year-old Philip from Malvern, England, has become a local celebrity as he started performing on the streets with his guitar after running into “a bit of a rough patch” and ending up homeless.
One day, however, he woke up only to find out that his beloved instrument had gone missing while he was sleeping.
A review of the CCTV footage taken outside the Malvern Link perfume shop where Philip was staying later revealed that an unidentified man wearing a backpack and a hat approached the homeless man while he was fast asleep only to steal his guitar.
“When I woke up, it was gone. I woke up at about half past 11 and the guitar had been taken,” Philip recalled.
“I’ve been going through a bit of a rough patch, and this has made me feel worse on top of that, but I try not to let things affect me too much.”
He added:
“I’ve become quite well known performing in the area, so I didn’t expect anyone would do something like that.
“It was a mid-range Yamaha guitar and it’s all I really had… I can’t go without a guitar. I couldn’t believe it when it was stolen, I don’t understand why somebody would want to pinch a homeless person’s guitar.”
After Philip’s story made headlines and went viral on social media, plenty of Good Samaritans intervened and offered to replace the man’s instrument.
“I have an electric guitar and amp that he can have. Hope you find who did it, some sad people around,” one person wrote.
“Does anyone have the contact details for the homeless man? I’d be happy to buy him an acoustic guitar,” another said.
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