The British Museum is suing a former curator it says stole 1,800 items and tried to sell them

The British Museum went to court Tuesday against a former curator alleged to have stolen hundreds of artifacts from its collections and offered them for sale online .

The museum is suing Peter Higgs, who was fired in July 2023 after more than 1,800 items were discovered to be missing. Lawyers for the museum say Higgs "abused his position of trust" to steal ancient gems, gold jewelry and other pieces from storerooms over the course of a decade.

High Court judge Heather Williams ordered Higgs to list or return any items in his possession within four weeks. She also ordered the disclosure of his eBay and PayPal records.

The museum says it has recovered 356 of the missing items so far, and hopes to get more back.

"The items that have been stolen from the museum are of cultural and historical significance," museum lawyer Daniel Burgess said in written legal...