TWO Tottenham teenagers have been accused of stealing an antique violin worth £1.2m from a musician who had stopped for a sandwich.

The 1696 Antonio Stradivarius instrument - one of only 450 in the world - was swiped from outside Pret á Manger in Euston Station on November 29.

The 32-year-old musician, who had the precious violin on loan, had stopped for a bite to eat at around 8.30pm, and noticed the black, rectangular case had gone at around 9pm.

Two boys, aged 16 and 14, from Tottenham, have been charged with theft and appeared before West London magistrates on Thursday, December 22.

The teens, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were released on court bail until the next hearing on Thursday, January 22, while co-defendant John Michael Maughan, 30, of no fixed address, has been remanded in custody.

Meanwhile, British Transport Police continue to appeal for information to secure the return of the violin, along with a Peccatte bow worth £62,000 and another bow worth £5,000 which were also in the case.

Insurers have put up a £15,000 reward for the safe return of the instrument, and Detective Inspector Andy Rose, who is leading the investigation, warned the violin would be very difficult to sell on.

He said: “Although they are extremely valuable, I want to stress that their sell-on value, in monetary terms, is practically nil because they are so unique.

“It would be very easy for an arts or antiques dealer to recognise them as stolen property, meaning they couldn’t be sold for anything near to their true value.”

Anyone with information on the missing Stradivarius violin can call DI Rose on 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference B9/LNA of 23/12/10, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.