A sexual deviant caught hoarding up to 1,000 pairs of ladies knickers has been warned his future liberty is on the line.

Lingerie fetishist Paul Whitaker has been ordered by a judge to stop adding to his collection by stealing from washing lines or be jailed.

Last August, Whitaker was wrestled to the ground by an angry householder after stealing six pairs of women's knickers from a clothes line in Silsden, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Whitaker, 39, has three previous convictions for disporting himself in women's underwear.

In December 1997, he was arrested in a field wearing only a bra, lace pants, stockings and suspender belt.

Whitaker pleaded guilty to stealing the knickers in August and was sentenced to an 18-month conditional discharge.

But Judge Jonathan Durham Hall told Whitaker members of the public took "a dim view" of his excessive zeal for his fetish.

The judge said: "Whatever you do in private is absolutely a matter for you but when you see someone's knickers on the line - don't - leave them alone.

"If you forget, and you do, I will have to send you to prison."

Prosecutor Ken Green said Whitaker was chased by a woman's brother after he was seen stealing from the family's washing line.

As he ran, he hurled knickers into gardens from his coat pocket.

He was detained after a struggle, Mr Green said.

Police searching Whitaker's home, in Berrington Way, Oakworth, Keighley, found up to 1,000 pairs of women's knickers.

Mr Green said there were 700 in one bedroom and numerous other pairs around the house - too many for officers to count or seize.

Whitaker told police he had no interest in women's underwear but liked to buy his partner lingerie.

The court heard Whitaker had convictions for public nuisance and indecent exposure, linked to his fetish.

In 1997, he was spotted hidden in a field in Whiskers Lane, Shibden.

A woman on her horse saw him discard his outer clothing to reveal women's underwear.

He was arrested at the scene in bra, lace knickers, suspender belt and white stockings.

Whitaker had with him a bin bag containing two more pairs of knickers, Mr Green said.

He had two convictions for public nuisance having been caught committing sex acts while wearing women's knickers in shop cubicles in 2002.

He bought the knickers he was trying on in the British Heart Foundation Charity Shop in Skipton town centre, Mr Green said.

He had a pair of knickers on his head in a cubicle at the nearby Bon Marche store while performing another indecent act, the court heard.

Mr Green told the judge: "These are the peculiar facts of these two previous convictions."

Whitaker's barrister Stephen Wood said his client had never been guilty of any sexual touching.

Although the probation service found he had "anger issues to women generally", Whitaker had been in a long-term relationship and was the father of a young child.

"He has fantasies and fetishes that involve women's underwear," said Mr Wood said.

Judge Durham Hall asked: "Why doesn't he buy them instead of stealing them?"

Mr Wood said Whitaker, now of Bankside Crescent, Yeadon, did not have a history of dishonesty.

"If he had stolen six pairs of men's underwear from Marks & Spencer, the court might be looking at a conditional discharge," he said.

The judge said he had some sympathy for Whitaker who had not had an easy time when growing up.

But he said Whitaker might one day accept that his actions upset other people.