Women's underwear thief sentenced for Wooler break-ins

Craig Brydon, 38, was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to carry out 120 hours’ unpaid work.

Brydon, of Atkinson Road, Hawick, pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary at Berwick Magistrates’ Court in February, with the case committed to Newcastle Crown Court for sentencing.

Brydon’s break-ins, carried out while he was on the road for his job, were prompted by his fetish for wearing women’s knickers, both courts were told.

All three burglaries were carried out in Wooler, one on South Road and two in Fenton Grange, in August and September 2016, and on an unspecified date between 2015 and 2017.

Brydon was caught after abandoning a pair of women’s high-heeled shoes with his DNA on near the South Road address. A subsequent search of his home brought to light property including women’s lingerie and a wig taken from the Wooler homes.

He initially denied the break-ins, claiming to have acquired the items from skips or charity shops, but his work records placed him in Wooler on the nights of two of the burglaries.

According to reports, Brydon has suffered from a disorder and depression.