A suspicious wife who was divorcing her husband secretly fitted an Apple AirTag on his van to track his movements to try to prove he was working while refusing to pay child support and their mortgage, a court heard.

Claire Dent was going through a 'difficult' and 'protracted' split with spouse Paul when she made the 'very foolish' decision to fit the device to his van, magistrates were told.

The 'invasive' £30 device the 49-year-old used to carry out her surveillance and 'gather evidence' over two months uses Bluetooth technology to help people track their belongings.

After she installed it, Mr Dent was left 'living in a state of anxiety' as his estranged wife checked it every day and repeatedly showed up wherever he was until he discovered the gadget, the court heard.

Mrs Dent admitted stalking without causing fear or distress and will be sentenced next year.

Southampton Magistrates' Court heard the mother-of-one had fitted the device to their shared van at the start of November last year.

The couple were going through a lengthy divorce and she had been advised that she was in a 'difficult position' when it came to proving that Mr Dent - who runs a property maintenance business - was doing additional work during their divorce.

She wanted to prove he was working while claiming benefits and refusing to pay any child support or contribute to their shared mortgage.

The pair have one son, who is now an adult, and they ran a business together while they were married but it closed as a result of their ongoing divorce.

Mr Dent uncovered the tracker just after Christmas when he spotted a strange green wire wrapped around the front grille of the van.

Dent would appear while Mr Dent was out on jobs across Hampshire in Eastleigh and Gosport.

Prosecutor Anisa Alrubaie told the court that Mr Dent was fitting a spotlight to the van on December 29 last year when he noticed the wire.

She said: "He came to the realisation that the defendant had been using the tracker to take a course of action against him."

Ms Alrubaie said Mr Dent's victim impact statement described him as 'living in a state of anxiety' since the stalking.

"Firstly, the surveillance and harassment has taken a significant toll on his emotional wellbeing, there has been a great decline in his mental state," she said.

"He now finds himself living in a state of anxiety and fear, he has a sense of unease at all times."

Mitigating, Kevin Hill said that Dent, of Lee-on-the-Solent, recognised her behaviour had been 'very foolish' and that she was 'extremely anxious' to be in court.

He said: "She came up with the idea of fitting the device to the van to see if he was going to visit clients they had built together.

"It was a very foolish thing to do, at 49 she has found herself in the criminal court."

Dent, who has no previous convictions, will be sentenced on January 8.