SHE had been warned by her friends living in the hostel to take care when hanging out her laundry, because there was an underwear thief lurking.

But 30 minutes after Lisa (not her real name) had left two bras and a pair of panties on a clothes-line outside her room, they had disappeared.

Yesterday, the culprit, an associate professor teaching in a China university, pleaded guilty to three charges of stealing women's underwear.

Lee Wing Foon, 39, will be sentenced on April 7. The Singaporean obtained his PhD from NTU before leaving to teach in China. At the time of the offences, he was back here during his leave.

The offences took place at around 9pm on Dec 20 last year.

Lisa was among three victims - all women - who had their underwear stolen that day.

Speaking to The Straits Times yesterday, Lisa said she was shocked and angry when she found out about the theft.

'I have heard stories before about underwear being stolen, but I never thought it would happen to me,' she said. She heard from a friend that the security guard in her hostel had detained a suspect, and she went down and found Lee there with her underwear in his haversack.

Lee appeared calm even when he was interrogated by the guard, and insisted that Lisa's items were all he had taken, although other hall residents had complained that some of their underwear items had been stolen as well.

He was taken away by police officers later.

In court yesterday, Lee's lawyer, Mr Jose Charles, urged Community Court judge James Leong to call for a pre-sentence report before meting out the sentence.

He said his client suffers from a psychiatric disorder and started taking women's undergarments since he was around 14, as these items would sexually arouse him.

Lee, he said, had no intention of causing annoyance to the owners.

Mr Charles submitted various testimonials to show that his client was a kind, honourable and helpful person. 'My client is greatly distressed and embarrassed by these (media reports on the case) as well.'

Lee, who wore a white short-sleeved shirt and dark trousers in court, left the building about an hour later in a completely different outfit - cap and sunglasses, blue T-shirt and light-blue jeans.

He made faces at the photographer who was taking shots of him.

Psychiatrists told The Straits Times that the sexual pleasure some men get when they masturbate with the underwear drives them to crime.

Consultant psychiatrist Brian Yeo from Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre said it boils down to the fantasies the men associate with the underwear. 'It helps them derive sexual pleasure and fuels the images when they satisfy themselves,' he said.

He added that, in some cases, used underwear carries a premium because it fuels the fantasy of being closer to the woman wearing them.

'The ones they can buy off the rack or from a department store can be a bit impersonal.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Feb 23, 2008.