A burglar who has a “sinister” fetish for women’s knickers has been jailed and slapped with a restraining order after he broke into a former schoolmate’s house and then raided her underwear drawers.
Mark Cox, aged 22, was jailed for a total of three years this week for burgling the home of the woman who he went to The Duston School with, taking almost all of her bras and pants, as well as three sex toys.
He was found with a “vast quantity” of bras and knickers, many belonging to the victim, as well as a fake police officers’ uniform, including handcuffs, a police badge, a police helmet and a canister of CS gas, which was purchased from eBay.
Northampton Crown Court heard Cox, who until recently worked as a porter at Northampton General Hospital, had snatched keys to the victim’s house while at a party. He then let himself into the house while she was out.
He rifled through her bedroom and knickers’ draw, stealing dozens of pairs of pants, bras and corsettes.
Sentencing Cox, of Heathville, Kings Heath, Judge Rupert Mayo, said: “I am not concerned about the fetish you have admitted, I am not particularly concerned about the items you stole but I am concerned about the way you planned these burglaries.”
Prosecuting, Jenna Allen, said Cox went to a party at the female victim’s house, in Northampton, on February 22, this year. The next day she realised a set of house keys had gone missing.
Over the subsequent few days she noticed “personal” items, including the sex toys and items of underwear were going missing.
Then, on March 3, she was out in Northamption town centre with her boyfirned when Cox began sending her text messages, asking her where she was.
The next day she realised “virtually all of her underwear” had vanished.
Police later found it inside Cox’s bedroom.
Judge Mayo added: “The fact that the burglaries were in the context of an almost stalker-type relationship makes it worse and, in my judgement, makes you more dangerous.”
He was jailed for a total of two years and nine months for the two burglaries, one month for possessing CS Gas and two months for possessing the police uniform. Cox was also handed a restraining order, banning him from contacting the victim.