Fundraiser for Littlehampton musician after equipment stolen from car - 'a detrimental loss'

Lewis James left his house in Pier Road last month to discover the lock on his car had been removed and his musical equipment was gone.

A neighbour’s Ring doorbell captured the break-in, which occurred between 3am and 4am on Tuesday, October 20, according to Lewis.

The loss has left the 38-year-old musician, who teaches locally and performs in pubs, struggling to work, while the damage to his car has also left him without transport.

He said: “It will cost around £5,000 to replace, but the bigger cost is that I can't do anything without using that equipment.

"It’s been dreadful, to be honest.”

Lewis performs a range of music, including pop, indie, reggae and rock, using live-looping to create tracks in front of audiences. While he is still able to perform in some capacity, he has had to ‘strip down’ his usual performances and borrow equipment from friends.

He added: “It's not what I'm used to and what I normally do.”

Lewis has appealed to anyone who spots the stolen equipment for sale to report it to police. It includes two HK Audio Lucas Nano PA systems, a Behringer XR18 mixer, Line 6 HX Effects, an RC600 looper and a Trojan bag containing an iPad.

He added: “I have the serial numbers for everything. So, they're not going to be able to sell my stuff. They're not even going to be able to use it.”

Lewis’s stepdaughter, Grace Mackintosh, has launched a fundraiser to help recover some of the costs.

Grace said: “This is a detrimental loss to both [Lewis’s] personal life and the community.”

So far, it has raised more than £860.

Lewis said: “I can’t believe it. It’s just amazing how many people have helped out so far.

“I'm able to get by because of the people helping me.”

To make a donation, visit Lewis’s GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lewis-james-recover-stolen-music-equipment.

Sussex Police has been approached for comment.