A parish councillor in Lancashire, England, successfully used an Apple AirTag to track down an individual stealing 300-year-old coping stones from an ancient wall. Approximately 30 stones had disappeared from the wall, located between the villages of Holmeswood and Rufford, over several months.
When local police indicated a lack of CCTV footage or forensic leads, Councillor Matt Smith, 43, devised an unconventional plan. He placed an AirTag tracking device inside one of the loose stones, anticipating that the thief would take it. This strategy paid off when the tracker's movement alerted Smith, who then notified the authorities.
The signal led Lancashire Police to the home of Craig Barker, 41, in Wigan, where a significant quantity of the stolen stonework was recovered. Barker subsequently admitted to theft and handling stolen goods offenses at Wigan Magistrates' Court and received a suspended 12-month prison sentence.
The wall from which the stones were taken is believed to have been constructed around 1730. Residents first noticed stones missing in May of the previous year, with further instances reported in June and October. After exploring options like warning signs and CCTV, Smith obtained permission from the landowner to implement his AirTag plan.
In addition to the stones valued at up to £7,000 that were taken from the wall, Smith claimed that other stonework, potentially stolen from various sites across the country and valued at as much as £40,000, was also found at Barker's property. The recovered historic stones have since been reinstalled with the assistance of contractors and local farmers.