Clubber tracked down the thief who stole her handbag – before finding it on Facebook Marketplace
Clubber used Apple AirTag to track thief who stole her handbag from the bar – before finding it for sale on Facebook Marketplace
- Christopher Cragen stole the woman’s bag from Flares, a bar in Newcastle
- The victim’s family saw the bag advertised on Facebook and alerted the police
A clubber used Apple AirTag to track down a thief who stole her handbag from a bar – only to find it for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
Christopher Cragen took the bag from Flares, in Newcastle, and gave it to a friend to sell on Facebook.
The victim used the Apple tracking device to pinpoint the general location of her bag, which contained £340 worth of goods, while her family saw it advertised on Facebook and reported it to the police.
Agents traced the profile of the woman who sold the bag and went to her address, a court said. She immediately told them who was responsible for the theft and Cragen was tracked down and arrested.
The crook, who has more than 200 offenses to his credit, was due to appear before Newcastle Magistrates’ Court earlier this month but failed to show up and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Christopher Cragen (pictured outside Newcastle Magistrates’ court) took a woman’s bag from the Flares bar and gave it to a friend to sell on Facebook
Cragen, of Arthur’s Hill, Newcastle, then appeared in custody to plead guilty to theft.
Jennifer McKelvin, prosecutor, said the victim was in Flares on October 6 last year when she left her handbag with a friend. When she came back a little later, however, it was gone.
Ms McKelvin added: ‘She used Apple AirTag to locate the area where the bag was. At the same time, her family looked on Facebook Marketplace and saw it for sale under the profile name Keira Bates. The police went to her address and they named Christopher Cragen responsible for the theft.’
The court heard that some items had been returned, others had not, and the victim was left £286 out of pocket.
Ms McKelvin also said Bates, 37, of Houston Court, in Elswick, had previously admitted handling stolen goods and was awaiting a verdict next month.
The thief, who has more than 200 offenses to his credit, was due to appear before Newcastle Magistrates’ Court earlier this month but failed to show up and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
In a statement, the victim said: “This theft caused me great stress and distress as I knew that an unknown person to me had taken my personal items, including my home address details, along with my house keys.
“This caused a great fear that people might gain access to my address.”
Alanna Wesencraft, defending herself, said the theft was opportunistic and unplanned. She added, “Mr. Cragen has had no convictions for theft in three years. He found the bag on stairs in Flares. It was a theft by find.’
District Judge Paul Currer adjourned the case for the preparation of a pre-sentencing report and released Cragen on unconditional bail to return to court with Bates for sentencing on May 19.