Prolific burglar jailed again after being caught on CCTV stealing Playstation

A prolific burglar with a lengthy criminal record has been locked up again after being caught stealing on CCTV.
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Lee White, 42, has multiple convictions and was spotted entering a man's room at the Hightown Hotel, a hostel on Lumley Street, Castleford in April, Leeds Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Robert Galley says White was seen on camera entering the man's property with an empty carrier bag and exited two minutes later with the bag which looked to be "bulging".

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Among the items taken was a Playstation, an ecigarette, aftershave and a the heroin substitute, methadone.

Lee White was jailed again.Lee White was jailed again.
Lee White was jailed again.

Arrested days later, he told police that he had called staff at the hostel to say he was going to enter the man's room to close the window, claiming he overheard other men planning to steal from the room.

It was found that the call was made after White had been in the room, and the window was never closed.

White, of Lisheen Avenue, Castleford, admitted a charge of burglary. He appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds, where he has been held on remand since his arrest.

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He committed his first burglary in 1995, and was caught and convicted multiple times in subsequent years. He was also handed two lengthy jail spells for robbery in the mid 2000s.

Only last October he was given a 14-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, for burglary.

Mitigating, Stephen Swan, said with White having been in custody since his last arrest, he had already served the equivalent of 14 months, with prisoners usually serving half of their sentence behind bars.

He said White had made significant steps in jail, becoming completely drug free from methadone and diazepam.

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He was attending regular drug-support meetings where he "speaks openly about his past and the mistakes he has made", added Mr Swan.

"It's been the blight of his life and history behind his extensive record."

But the judge, Tom Bayliss QC, rejected a plea from Mr Swan to suspended the sentence for his latest offence, and said "There has to be a prison sentence, there is no other way."

He gave him 31 months' jail in total, including the activation of the suspended 14 months he received last year.