Burglar was caught sniffing women's knickers in Bradford house, court hears

Mohammed Umar was sitting on the bed at the Bradford house holding the underwear to his nose, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Umar, 22, of Storr Hill, Wyke, Bradford, was sentenced to a community order by the city magistrates in February for twice trying to break into the address.

On March 21, an 18-year-old girl babysitting at the house at 10pm was shocked to see Umar walk out from behind her bedroom door.

Two young children were sleeping in the property at the time, prosecutor Georgina Goring said.

The teenager, who was talking to a friend on Facetime, filmed the terrifying incident on her phone.

She next saw Umar sitting in a woman's bedroom holding a pair of women's knickers to his nose.

He stared at the girl, said nothing and walked past her out of the property.

Miss Goring said the teenager was left shaken and terrified. She did not want to go back to the house, was unable to be at home alone and hid all her underwear in her wardrobe.

Umar's barrister, Shufqat Khan, said a psychiatrist had examined issues of his client's perversion and sexuality.

Umar was of very low intelligence and his mental health had recently deteriorated. He was getting no medical help at the time and had found his time in custody extremely difficult.

Mr Khan said Umar was supported by his family and would be under the care of a community psychiatric nurse if spared custody.

Judge Peter Hunt said it was "a sinister and bizarre" case.

"You scared the living daylights out of the 18-year-old babysitter," he said.

Umar, who pleaded guilty to burglary, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, with a 40-day rehabilitation activity and a three-month curfew. He must seek help from the community's psychiatric services.

An indefinite restraining order bans him from going to the house he burgled.

Judge Hunt told Umar: "You have been treated very leniently. Don't throw away this chance, and get yourself better."