A musician had more than £5,000 worth of equipment stolen from his car, while he was at university.
Singer-songwriter James Casper Mason had parked his car inside the NCP Piccadilly Plaza car park in the city centre, while he went to a class at BIMM. When he came back, he discovered that thousands of pounds worth of electricals and other gear had been taken.
Despite reporting the theft to the police and the 33-year-old claiming there was a CCTV camera pointed at the spot where his car was parked, James received an email 'a matter of hours' later to say that there would be 'no further investigation', he said.
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He told the Manchester Evening News: "I never drive to uni because parking is so expensive but I was hosting an open mic night in Tarleton (Lancashire) that evening, so I had absolutely everything on me.
"There was a camera pointing directly at my car. I wasn't allowed to see it but the police requested it. However, it was only a matter of hours before police said there'd be no further investigation, which seems bloody ridiculous."
The items stolen from his car include a brand new Apple Macbook, an iPad, microphones, leads, headphones, and a mixing desk. Thieves even nicked a packet of cigarettes and two tins of dog food but James said he'll "let that slide".
"You've got to laugh or you'd cry," James, of Horwich, Bolton, added. "My two guitars were on the back seat and they didn't take them, which is an absolute godsend because they cost like £2,000 each.
"The car insurance will cover £500, but that's with a £250 excess. I will get about £500 recovered from home insurance as well. I had the top Apple insurance as well but I found out that doesn't cover theft."
James set up a fundraising page to try and help him replace his stolen equipment. So far, more than £1,000 has been raised but he is hoping to reach a goal of £3,000.
He thanked those who donated, along with venues and promoters for helping him out since the theft, by lending him equipment. James said: "It's been horrible but at the same time I've been proper humbled by the support I've got. It's been amazing.
"I've been a full-time gigging musician for about two years now, so all the venues that I gig at, studios I work at and promoters I work with had made sure that my diary is booked up completely for the next few weeks to make sure I've got money coming in. Venues have given me sound systems, microphones, mixing desks and everything I need.
"I've even written a song about it. It's really crap but at the moment I've been lent everything that I need to continue gigging and support my family. It's annoying because I donate a lot of money to charity and I'm not going to be able to do it for a couple of stuff until I've saved up."
GMP confirmed that a theft from a car at NCP Piccadilly Plaza, between 2.20pm and 3.15pm on February 28, was reported to them and said that the case could be re-opened if there was new evidence. A spokesman said: "It was reported to us – while it maybe logged as ‘no further investigation’ a case can be re-opened if new evidence comes to light."
If you wish to help James replace his stolen equipment, you can donate to his GoFundMe page here.
Superintendent Phil Spurgeon at City of Manchester Police later told the M.E.N: "As the lead for policing in Manchester city centre, I am really disappointed in our initial response to this crime, especially given the obvious impact on the victim in their work as a musician.
"We do a lot of work with car park providers around crime prevention, actively target those we suspect of committing vehicle crime and support victims of crime where they need it, but we have clearly let Mr Mason down on this occasion. I have spoken with Mr Mason and apologised. The investigation is active and CCTV enquiries are being exhausted."
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