Teenager with fetish for ladies' shoes ordered by judge to seek urgent help or face jail

A teenager with a fetish for ladies' shoes broke into the homes of two neighbours to satisfy his unusual sexual craving. Robert Seatherton, aged 18, was caught red handed by one woman's 13-year-old son as he rifled through a cupboard and was seen by passers by as he left a second house with three pairs of shoes. The owner of the shoes was so disgusted she told police she never wanted to see them again after they were recovered from Seatherton's bedroom in South Molton, Devon. A judge at Exeter Crown Court warned him he will end up in jail unless he seeks urgent help for his shoe fetish.

Seatherton, now of Torquay, admitted two burglaries and was curfewed for four months, and ordered to receive 50 days rehabilitative treatment from the probation service by Judge Erik Salomonsen. He told him: "These were burglaries. You may have been trying to steal shoes rather than jewellery or money, but they are still burglaries. You placed yourself at risk of going to prison and if there is a repeat of this form of behaviour that is exactly where you will go. This was in a small town where you grew up and knew the lady you burgled. You were not prepared to admit taking three pairs at first, they had to be dragged out of you, and that is a worrying feature of this case. I think your mother was finally responsible for finding and recovering one pair of wedge heels.



"The victims may have known you, but you were in their bedrooms and one says she does not want to touch the shoes you stole, and who can blame her? The probation report says that your fetish means your risk of sexual offending high. Those who have a fetish which results in a burglary often move on. Clearly you need help. You know what your problems are. You know what happens when you indulge your fetish. While you have no previous convictions, this is not the first time you have taken shoes. This is where it must stop." Mr David Bowen, prosecuting, said Seatherton was staying with his parents in South Molton, on August 1, when he broke into the homes of two neighbours. He did not realise the owner's 13-year-old son was at home in one of them and was disturbed as she searched a wardrobe in the mother's bedroom. He stole three pairs of shoes from the next house but was recognised as he left with them in a stolen rucksack and the police were called.

Mr Bowen said:"The owner went to his home and he fully admitted taking the items. He showed no remorse and said if he had more time he would have burgled more houses. He said he was wasted and had drunk two and a half pints of strong lager. He told police he took the shoes to satisfy a sexual fetish and planned to take them back to Torquay." Both victims made personal statements and the woman whose shoes were stolen said she was so shocked she and her partner were thinking of moving. It was their first home together and they felt violated. Mr Richard Crabb, defending, said Seatherton's parents noticed he had an interest in shoes when he was just two and had known about his fetish for several years. He said Seatherton is autistic and suffers from ADHD. He said:"He is a vulnerable adult and this is his first offence. It was not planned and was opportunistic. He knew the people as neighbours because it is where he had grown up. They knew him and knew about his problems as well."