Lee Kildare, who stands just three feet 11 inches tall, was caught in the act after getting into a house in Newcastle by stepping through a broken door panel.
Kildare's head was seen by a security guard and police officer poking out of the hole.
Fiona Varley, prosecuting at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, said a security guard spotted the dwarf at 9pm on May 2 and alerted police.
She said: "While the PC was liaising with the security guard, a male now known to be Lee Kildare poked his head through broken panel in the door.
"The defendant helped himself through the hole and was arrested."
After being arrested, Kildare was taken to Newcastle's Pilgrim Street police station.
Miss Varley added: "He was very drunk and said if the police hadn't arrived he would have stolen the copper.
"When asked about the scrap metal lying around the house, he said he couldn't remember anything about it but said he probably would have stolen that too."
Michael Crowe, defending, said Kildare has a condition called achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. He said Kildare was recruited by criminals because of his condition.
"They encourage him to participate in this activity because, as a result of his size, he finds it easier to get into smaller places" he said.
The 22-year-old and his accomplices would sell the stolen metal at Tyneside junk yards and share the profits.
The court heard that Kildare had committed the burglary just hours after appearing in Newcastle Magistrates' Court, where he was convicted of a similar offence and given a conditional discharge.
Kildare, of Southern Road, Walker, Newcastle, who lives with his mother, admitted non-dwelling house burglary.
He was given a 12-month community order with supervision and told to stick to a three-month curfew between 8pm and 7am.
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