Man allegedly steals more than 20 pairs of undies

A MAN has allegedly been nicking ladies’ underwear from their clotheslines but what he does with them next is what is most disturbing thing.

Knickers. Womens underwear.

A CREEPY crim has allegedly been stealing ladies’ underwear from a clotheshorse in Melbourne and using them to masturbate.

The man first stole 10 pairs of undies from a Richmond apartment on Lennox St on December 26.

He returned another three times, stealing eight pairs on January 2, one pair on January 10 and two pairs on January 24.

The lingerie looter struck again last Saturday and was caught on the apartment’s CCTV footage, set up by one of the victims.

The thief was caught looking through the underwear before masturbating.

He has been dubbed the “snowdropper”, a term used for a person who steals a pair of underwear before using it for sexual acts.

Detective Sergeant Bill Brown, of the Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team, said three young ladies aged in their 20s had been deeply affected by the crime.

“The act itself is very concerning, which is why we want to catch this person as soon as we can,” he said.

Women’s underwear was stolen from an apartment in Melbourne. Source: Getty Images

A victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the man was masturbating into her underwear while she slept just 20m away.

“When I watched the footage the next morning I realised I caught someone and I felt really unwell watching the footage back,” she said.

“We feel very unsafe, I don’t feel comfortable walking up the driveway from my car to the front door and I get up in the middle of the night to check windows and doors are locked.

“I have a lot of trouble sleeping.

“I think it’s a pretty disgusting crime and it’s not really fair for somebody else to make another person feel this way. This person should hand themselves in and let us get back to our everyday lives.”

The woman first realised her underwear was stolen when she noticed her clotheshorse was tipped and pegs had been removed and repegged.

She said during all five thefts, the women were at home.

“It obviously made me feel really unsafe knowing somebody was coming to my house, right next to my kitchen door,” she said.

“It makes you wonder if somebody is watching your house, potentially stalking you.”

She said they are now covering their windows and doors to make sure nobody can see them.

The thief is described as caucasian, aged between 20-30 years, with short, light brown hair and a medium build.

He was wearing a hoodie with ‘Tokyo 86’ written across the front.

Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or file a confidential report at www.crimestoppers.com.au.