21/10/2009 - Man jailed over underwear thefts
A finance director has been jailed for 16 months after stealing thousands of items of women's underwear and clothing from a Marks and Spencer store in Leicester.
David O'Connell, of Bank Street, Stoke-on-Trent, was caught shoplifting at the chain's stores in Fosse Park, in April 2008.
During a search of his former home in Coventry, police found an "Aladdin's cave" of 6,400 items, worth around £119,000, from Marks and Spencer - including underwear stored in wardrobes and boxes, many with tags still on.
The 48-year-old businessman was handed the sentence at Leicester Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of theft from the popular store.
The court also heard that O'Connell has previous convictions for theft.
Judge Simon Hammond said: "He has a sexual fetish in relation to female clothing. The irony is this: the defendant could have bought this clothing himself. What he does in his private business is no concern to the court."
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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