A MIDDLE-aged man who climbed into his next door neighbour's home and helped himself to her daughter's knickers, has gone to jail for three-and-a-half years.

Burnley Crown Court had heard how John Kelvin Brown's victim no longer felt safe in her own home and felt her privacy had been violated after Brown, 56, made his way through the loft and took the underwear from her linen basket.

Brown told police the panties were his girlfriend's but couldn't name her and DNA testing showed the chances of the underwear coming from someone other than the victim were one in 32 million.

Sentencing Brown, Judge Raymond Bennett told the court a psychiatrist felt the defendant did not pose a significant risk to women.

He added: "One can well understand the feelings of the woman concerned and that she won't feel safe living next to you - although it's not suggested you made any advances to her."

The judge said the offence was serious because of the unusual circumstances and because it was Brown's sixth conviction for burglary.

Brown, of Ripon Road, Oswaldtwistle, was convicted by a jury of burglary, after a recent trial.

Richard Orme, prosecuting, told the court the offence was "odd, bizarre and somewhat concerning." The next door neighbour's daughter returned to her house with her boyfriend and he noticed black footmarks on the wall by the loft access. Plaster powder was on the floor and in the bathroom a small hole had been made in the ceiling above the bath.

Police were called and searched the defendant's home. They found about 12 bricks had been removed in the loft, small enough for a man to be able to crawl through into the house next door.

Officers found two pairs of knickers in Brown's kitchen and, although nothing else was missing from the daughter, her clothes had been rummaged through.

Mr Orme said Brown told police he had lost his keys and money earlier and somebody else must have gone into the house and committed the offence.

He said the underwear belonged to his girlfriend, but declined to name her. The victim felt extremely frightened and uncomfortable and would move out of her home straight away if Brown moved back in next door.

Adam Lodge, defending, said Brown's record was not the worst for a man of his age, but the offence crossed the custody threshold.

He had been in custody for six months and was willing to work with the probation service, to allay any fears they may have, regarding a threat to women.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.