Perverts swindled thousands of socks from pub-goers to fuel bizarre fetish

dailystar.co.uk:

Southport sock-men conned drinkers into parting ways with their socks in the name of charity. Claiming to be collecting the socks for good causes the sockmen approached unsuspecting victims in the resort's bars and clubs and paid up to £5 for their footwear.They made sure to take pictures of the victims with their socks and then meticulously tagged each pair with the donor's name before wrapping them in sandwich bags.But when their homes in the resort were raided, police found an 18-inch deep "carpet" of socks.They were hanging from lampshades and even covering the microwave.Both men were jailed in 1998 for conspiring to commit acts of gross indecency.They were found guilty of conspiring to commit acts of gross indecency, and at their trial.