British Museum Was Warned Gems Were Being Sold on eBay, Emails Show

In the week because the news of the thefts broke, the case has been the topic of heated hypothesis within the British news media, with every day articles conjecturing over what number of artifacts had been misplaced, and who was accountable.

Erin Thompson, a specialist in artwork crime at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, mentioned it was uncommon for a significant museum to go public with particulars of inside losses. “Normally, it’s kept under wraps,” she mentioned. She mentioned she hoped that different museums would observe the British Museum’s instance and be extra open in future.

Other consultants mentioned the museum ought to have acted extra shortly. Dick Ellis, the previous head of Scotland Yard’s artwork and antiquities squad, mentioned he was shocked the museum appeared to take so little motion within the two years because the alarm was raised.

To uncover what had occurred, Mr. Ellis mentioned, the British Museum would first want to establish what precisely had gone lacking; then the police would wish to get information from eBay or different public sale websites to establish particulars about any accomplished or tried gross sales. Then, Mr. Ellis added, the police would wish to contact the objects’ patrons. If any patrons had been primarily based exterior Britain, that might hamper inquiries.

Some comparable investigations have lasted years with out coming to a decision. In 2020, Dirk Obbink, a former University of Oxford scholar, was arrested on suspicion of stealing and promoting historic papyri. He was launched with out costs because the Thames Valley Police continued to analyze, and a spokesman mentioned this week that there had been no latest developments within the case.

Last week, the British Museum introduced a brand new unbiased evaluation, led by Nigel Boardman, a former museum trustee, and Lucy D’Orsi, a British police official, to look into the thefts and make suggestions relating to future safety preparations. The British Museum spokeswoman mentioned the group would publish the outcomes of the evaluation, which is scheduled to be accomplished this yr.