Old shoes stolen for sniffing

A lorry driver has been jailed for 25 weeks because of his uncontrollable fetish for smelly shoes.

Zainal Mohamed Esa, 43, steals old, worn shoes from people's doorsteps because of a 'burning desire, akin to that of a drug addict, to sniff used pairs of shoes', said his lawyer Rai Ratan Kumar.

Mr Rai told the court Zainal kept the shoes until the smell ran out, and then either tried to return them or donated them to the Salvation Army.

Zainal pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and two counts of fraudulent possession.

Mr Rai described Zainal's obsession as a 'psychological need' and appealed for leniency.

However, in handing down a jail sentence, Judge F. G. Remedios said he had taken into account two previous similar charges.