A TALENTED fashion designer from Stourport stole antique treasures worth more than £40,000 while working as a volunteer at a county museum and sold them at Christies.

Reubeen Tariq sent seven consignments to the London auction house during a campaign of systematic theft from the County Museum at Hartlebury.

Tariq, Young Designer of the Year in 1982, wanted the money to fund a course at Leicester University. When he did not gain entry, he continued to steal in a bid to gain entrance to the University of East Anglia.

Tariq, 40, of Stagborough Way, Stourport, was jailed for 21 months at Worcester Crown Court for what Judge John Cavell termed "a gross abuse of trust".

The judge, who was handed Tariq's work portfolio, said the case was a tragedy for a highly intelligent and talented man.

Mr James Dunstan, prosecuting, said Tariq was entrusted with keys to displays and the storeroom at the museum. Items he stole included 18th century clothing, toys, dolls and shoes over an 11-month period. Some dolls fetched more than £2,000.

Christies' records showed items submitted for auction by Tariq fetched £13,800. Police recovered more items from his home and a friend. It was estimated the total figure for stolen property was between £41,000 and £60,000.

Mr John Edwards, defending, described the offences as "crass stupidity" by a talented man of previous good character who had found unemployment depressing and degrading.

He said: "He left college in 1982 with the world at his feet. He was Young Designer of the Year but despite having appeared in prestigious publications such as the New York Times, he has had a sharp decline in his fortunes."

Mr Edwards wondered why Christies had not queried the provenance of many of the articles submitted for sale.

Tariq was ashamed of his breach of trust and would find imprisonment extremely rigorous.