11:33am UK, Wednesday April 28, 2004

Japanese police who arrested a 55-year-old man for stealing women's underwear, raided his home to find 4,000 pairs of knickers collected over 30 years.

Washing lines were raided

The man confessed to stealing the panties and said he had an uncontrollable urge to collect underwear.

His three-decade stealing spree came to an end when the husband of one of his victims caught him on an apartment balcony trying to grab a pair of his wife's briefs.

Local TV quoted the man as saying: "I love women's underwear and could not control my desire."