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Councillor catches thief who stole £7,000 of 300-year-old wall stones by hiding a tracker after police said they couldn't help

The stones, linked to a wall thought to have been built around 1730 for Grade II-listed Rufford New Hall, were recovered after Craig Barker, 41, admitted theft and handling stolen goods.
The stones, linked to a wall thought to have been built around 1730 for Grade II-listed Rufford New Hall, were recovered after Craig Barker, 41, admitted theft and handling stolen goods.
The Apple AirTag tracker technology Matt Smith, 43, used led to Barker receiving a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 22 months.
The Apple AirTag tracker technology Matt Smith, 43, used led to Barker receiving a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 22 months.

Parish councillor Matt Smith, 43, of Holmeswood, Lancashire, hid an Apple AirTag inside one of the loose 300-year-old coping stones after police told him there were no CCTV leads or forensic opportunities to pursue. The tracker led officers directly to Craig Barker's Wigan back garden, where a large quantity of stolen stonework was recovered. Barker, 41, of Tan House Drive, Wigan, admitted theft and handling stolen goods at Wigan Magistrates' Court.

Around 30 stones vanished from the 18th-century wall in three raids — May, June and October 2025 — before Smith acted.

Barker received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 22 months, leaving Smith to say it 'would have been nice for him to have been imprisoned.'

The wall is thought to have been built around 1730 for Grade II-listed Rufford New Hall, making the stolen stones roughly 300 years old.

MoreThe SunThief caught stealing 30 stones worth £7k by fed-up locals who hid AirTag in 300-year-old wall after cops couldn’t helpmanchestereveningnews.co.ukPolice 'couldn't help' solve £7,000 crime, until a dad's genius idea caught Wigan man red-handed - Manchester Evening NewsDaily MailMan uses AirTag to catch thief stealing 300-year-old stonesDaily Mail NewsCouncillor uses an AirTag to catch thief stealing 300-year-old stones from an ancient wallYahoo News UKThief caught stealing £7k in stones from 300-year-old wallwigantoday.net'It was a great feeling to know we had found the man responsible'
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