Dwarf thief caught short again after he is convicted for the second time in just THREE days

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:10 PM on 25th July 2008

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Short shrift: Dwarf Lee Kildare, 22, has blamed his life of crime on his small stature

Dwarf burgler Lee Kildare has been caught short for the second time in just three days after he convicted of steeling hundreds of pounds worth of sweets from a hospital cafe.

The 3ft 11in raider has become a hit with burglary gangs, who recruit him to slip through tiny nooks and crannies and plunder swag.

Earlier this week, 22-year-old Kildare was convicted of burgling a derelict council house, which he had entered through a tiny hole in the front door.

Now it's been revealed that just days after he was put on curfew for that  offence, he was back in the dock.

This time, a magistrate heard how he broke into the Conservatory Cafe at Newcastle's General Hospital by climbing through a smashed window.

He was then spotted at a bus stop with a bin liner crammed with sweets.

Kildare, from the Walker area of the city, has now had his curfew extended.

The pint-sized criminal has bragged how he has raided houses for years.

He said: 'People do  come to me to and ask me to help them on burglaries and that is because I am  small and can get through holes but it doesn't mean they are taking advantage -  everything I do is my own choice.

'This is something I have been doing for years but I always burgle derelict  houses for metal that I can sell on as scrap.

'It is something I have to do because I can't live on the money I get and can't  get a normal job like other people.

'I do get incapacity benefit but I have never worked so I burgle for extra  money.

'I can normally get away with it and I have even shoplifted in the past because  no-one would suspect me.'

Kildare's latest court appearance came just days after he was convicted of non-  dwelling house burglary for a raid on a former council house.

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Small-time crook: Kildare was small enough to get through this hole to plunder scrap metal from an abandoned home

That offence had come just hours after he had been convicted of a similar  burglary, for which he got a 12-month conditional discharge.

In court for burgling the hospital, Kildare blamed his offending  on booze, saying his condition means he is unable to handle his drink.

Michael Crowe, defending, said: 'He says at the time he was very drunk.

'He can quite quickly get drunk and not always does he remember what he has  done. He thinks he went to the hospital for treatment then committed this  offence.'

Kildare had been given a 12- month community order and was placed on curfew for  three months after the house raid.

But when details of the hospital burglary, which dated back to July last year,  came to light, magistrates extended his curfew to four months, between 8pm and  7am.

Kildare said about his drinking problem: 'I do drink heavily sometimes, usually  before I go burgling to give me some courage.

'Because of my size it doesn't take much for me to get drunk.'

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