Mayor who got 'sexual kicks' from stealing women's underwear jailed for two years » Local Government » 24dash.com

The mayor of a village who got his "sexual kicks" by sneaking into bedrooms to steal and violate women's underwear was jailed for two years today after he was caught out by a secret camera.

Church-going Ian Stafford, 59, was a highly respected member of the community and Mayor of Preesall in Lancashire before his "bluntly revolting" behaviour was uncovered, Preston Crown Court heard.

A part-time handyman and gardener, he had been employed for years by some of his victims who trusted him with keys to their homes.

But while alone Stafford, a bachelor, would creep into their bedrooms, rifle through underwear draws and masturbate before replacing the knickers and also stealing some of the garments.

One suspicious homeowner who began to notice the thefts then planted hidden cameras - which captured one episode with Stafford in the bedroom naked from the waste down acting out his fantasy, the court was told.

The 14-minute DVD was passed to police and Stafford's home searched where officers found stolen underwear which were marked with the women's names on them, the court heard.

Stafford, of Sandycroft Place, Preesall, who resigned as mayor after being arrested, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to three counts of burglary with a further count taken into consideration.

The charges relate to the homes of four women in Poulton-le-Fylde and Stalmine in Lancashire.

After hobbling into court using a walking stick, past his victims in the public gallery, his jaw dropped as he was sent down by Judge Heather Lloyd, who told him his actions were "bluntly revolting".

"Your private desires or fantasies which should only be your concern became public when you decided to do what you did in the homes of those who trusted you," she told him.

"To masturbate into a woman's underwear and place it back in the draw, repeatedly, as seen in the DVD, as you have done in other homes is bluntly revolting and the impact on your victims is high."

The court heard the victims were "embarrassed, disgusted and shocked" to discover how the man they trusted was getting his "sexual kicks".

Robert Smith, prosecuting, told the court the first victim employed Stafford as a handyman, giving him keys to the house, but over a period of 12 months they began to notice items of ladies underwear going missing.

On June 26 last year they set up a hidden CCTV system which was running while Stafford was in the house alone.

"It could be seen the defendant entering the bedroom, naked from the waist down, only wearing a shirt and headed straight for the underwear draw of the lady of the house," Mr Smith said.

Stafford grabbed handfuls of underwear before performing a sex act then spreading some of the underwear on the bed. He also took two items and put them in his bag.

Police searched Stafford's home and a "large amount" of ladies underwear was found, some of which was marked with the owners' names, Mr Smith said, who police were then able to trace through the defendant's work as a handyman at other homes.

Smith confessed to police after being confronted with the CCTV evidence.

Richard Howarth, mitigating for Stafford, said the defendant had suffered a traumatic upbringing, which left him vulnerable and he had been "picked on, bullied and targeted".

The court heard Stafford had during his life always "craved" adult female affection.

Mr Howarth said Stafford was now "wracked" with the "stigma, shame and embarrassment" the case had caused him.

"There's been two sides to Mr Stafford," he added, "The public side, elected as Mayor of Preesall on two separate occasions, clearly widely accepted by wide sections of the community.

"The man trusted as an employee. There is the man who cares for his 90-year-old cousin, who is blind and who he looks after.

"A man who is now broken and vilified by all those who at one stage had respect for him."

Speaking outside court, Det Con Steve Montgomery, of Lancashire Police, said: "This has been a distressing ordeal for the victims involved, all of whom had let Mr Stafford into their homes, trusting him to carry out maintenance.

"They certainly did not expect him to search for, and steal, their possessions. There has been a breach of their trust in a very intimate nature."