Musician devastated as 'whole world stolen'

A songwriter says he is devastated after a guitar and laptop that "meant the world" to him was stolen.

Bernie Laverick, 67, from Hull, said every song he had ever written was stored on the laptop that he claimed was taken from a music studio in his garden.

Laverick said he begged whoever took his laptop to "explore their conscience" and leave it on his doorstep, or hand it into a local business or library anonymously.

Humberside Police is appealing for anyone with information or who may have CCTV footage to come forward, adding: "Officers received reports of a burglary at a property on Perth Street West, which is believed to have occurred between 10:30 GMT and 12:00 on Wednesday 14 January."

Laverick has been a musician for 48 years and has been writing his own songs for almost a decade.

He said his music was "everything" to him, adding the songs were "so close and personal".

He said: "I've written every idea I've had for song lyrics, prose and poems on there [laptop] and recorded all of my demos.

"It was like my little warehouse.

"The things on there are irreplaceable. A lot of the stuff is in my head, but not all of it."

Performing at The Butchers Dog, in Driffield, the day after the incident, Laverick said the theft would not stop him from loving his job.

"All that goes to bed and I just have a big smile when I'm singing," he said.

"I love playing music just as much now as I used to in the 70s all those years ago."

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