A Melbourne tradie broke into a woman's home and snuck into her bedroom before stealing several items, including nipple clamps, lingerie and a rope, a court has been told.
Carpenter Patrick Simpkins appeared via video link in the County Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary over an incident in March 2020.
Simpkins is accused of sneaking into the woman’s Ashwood home in the early hours of the morning before he crept into her bedroom and rifled through her wardrobe.
He found several items, including a rope, a crop, nipple clamps with a chain attached and lingerie with a chain attached.
Court documents revealed Simpkins was crouched at the foot of his victim’s bed. He was shirtless, wearing a bandana that covered half his face and had a rope over his shoulder when his victim woke.
“What the f–k?” the woman said three times when she spotted the accused.
He then walked towards the woman who feared she was going to be sexually assaulted or attacked because Simpkins looked like he was “getting ready to pounce”.
Simpkins remained at the end of the bed staring at his victim, according to court documents. After being told to leave again, he stumbled out of the property.
He was captured, shirtless, on CCTV running away from the home.
On Thursday lawyers for the accused submitted their client suffered from borderline personality disorder, was heavily intoxicated on the night of the offending and was experiencing dissociative symptoms.
But prosecutors said the latter issued should be dismissed as “self-reported” because there wasn’t enough evidence to suggest it was linked to his behaviour.
Crown prosecutor Anna Martin told thxjmtzywe court that the report came from Simpkins’ brother who said the accused had been dissociating on the night of the offence. He described the accused’s facial expression as “vague and absent”.
“The link is just not there … his behaviour can easily be explained by the amount of alcohol he consumed,” Ms Martin said.
The defence also submitted that it was Simpkins’ intention for his victim to remain asleep, but Judge Douglas Trapnell disputed that theory.
“How do you assault someone while they’re asleep?” he told the court.
Court documents suggest Simpkins did not physically harm the woman, though Judge Trapnell said Simpkins intended to make her fear she would be assaulted.
Simpkins, who works as a carpenter, handed himself in to police about a month later.
Judge Trapnell had earlier described it “ludicrous” to consider the incident as low-level offending.
Simpkins’ bail was extended. He will be sentenced next month.
