A replica of the skull of a woman hanged more than 200 years ago has been returned to a pub that claims to be one of Britain's most haunted.
The Golden Fleece in York launched an appeal to return the unusual artefact after it was pinched earlier this month.
The skull is said to be a replica of Elizabeth Johnson's – a prisoner who was found guilty of using a forged £1 banknote.
Johnson was hanged on August 23, 1800 for the forged £1 – which would be worth around £89 today – and the 518-year-old pub, which is two miles from where she was executed, had been displaying the skull in a special case before it disappeared on New Year's Day.
CCTV showed it being pinched and North Yorkshire Police used footage to track down the thief, who had put it above their fireplace.
A spokesman for the force said: "When staff in the pub noticed that Elizabeth was missing, they launched their own investigation on social media, posting an appeal for skull to be returned.
"This appeal was unsuccessful, but the pub staff had a clear CCTV image of the suspect and contacted the police.
"Officers launched an investigation and used the pub CCTV as well as CCTV in the city to identify the suspect.
"A man in his twenties immediately admitted the theft and proceeded to show police to his fireplace where Elizabeth's head was sat on top.
"The officers were delighted to be able to return Elizabeth back to where she belongs, the Golden Fleece pub."
Police said the thief was dealt with via an out of court disposal and has since written a letter of apology.
Rookie PC Bill Davies, who investigated the offence with his tutor seven weeks into his policing career, said: “Before joining the police I was advised that no two days will ever be the same. This crime has certainly confirmed this.
“It was an interesting crime to investigate and at the same time has improved my knowledge on local history.
“I am chuffed that we were successful in identifying the offender and returning the stolen property.”
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