Peter John Higgs, a veteran curator at the British Museum, has been named by two UK broadsheets as the employee dismissed from the London institution for allegedly stealing and selling priceless artefacts from the museum’s collection.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Higgs is suspected of stealing artefacts from the museum’s collection before selling them on eBay, with items appearing on the eCommerce site as early as 2016.
Most recently, Higgs, who has worked in curatorial positions at the museum since 1993, is suspected of taking gold, jewellery and semi-precious stones, several of which dated back to the 15th century BC. The missing items had not been on public display for several years and had been kept in storage for research and academic purposes.
Higgs was identified as a suspect after allegedly selling pieces that had been catalogued by the museum and could be traced by their digital inventory. A Paypal account using his real name was also linked to the sales.
Higgs (pictured on the left) has worked as a curator at the British Museum since 1993 CREDIT: AP
The Daily Telegraph also reported that British Museum officials had been informed of the security breach three years earlier by an unnamed antiquities expert, however, the decision to dismiss Higgs was only taken in August.
The news comes after the British Museum launched an independent review of the institute’s security measures.
Higgs has yet to be arrested, however, the Telegraph reports that his family claim that he is innocent of any wrongdoing and will take steps to clear his name. The British Museum, however, is likely to take legal action if Higgs is arrested. 
