How a brazen thief stole 300 pieces of art from the British Museum

• A new book, The African Kingdom of Gold by Barnaby Phillips, has revealed how Nigel Peverett, a former British Museum staff member, stole over 300 art prints in the early 1990s.
• Peverett, who had worked at the museum in the 1970s, was caught in April 1992 attempting to leave with 35 prints, leading to the discovery of more stolen items at his Kent cottage.
• He admitted to taking prints, altering them by removing catalogue numbers or cutting them down, and selling them through an antiques dealer at Portobello Road market.
• Following his prosecution, Peverett received a suspended sentence, and while 55 stolen prints were recovered, at least 95 are still believed to be outstanding.
• The British Museum acknowledged the decades-old events, saying that they are committed to safeguarding their collection, including digitising it within five years.

IN FULL

British Museum staff member stole over 300 pieces of art before being caught red-handed