AirTag hidden in historic wall reveals stone thief
Summary
A parish councillor in Lancashire hid an Apple AirTag in a stone from a 300-year-old wall after about 30 stones were stolen. The tracker led police to an address in Wigan, and Craig Barker pleaded guilty to theft and handling stolen goods; he received a suspended sentence.Key Facts
- About 30 stones were taken from a half-mile stretch of wall near Rufford Old Hall in October 2025.
- Matt Smith said CCTV would have been costly and difficult to install across the long stretch of wall.
- Smith drilled an AirTag into a small coping stone and returned it to the wall.
- About four weeks later, the tracker showed the stone moving to an address in Winstanley, Wigan.
- Police went to the address and arrested a man.
- The stones were returned, and local residents rebuilt the wall.
- Craig Barker, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and one count of handling stolen goods at Wigan Magistrates' Court.
- Barker received a 12-month sentence, suspended for 22 months.
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