Italy's highest court has acquitted a homeless man of stealing cheese and sausages, ruling that the theft of small amounts of food by the hungry poor is not a crime.
Ukranian Roman Ostriakov was caught in 2011 pocketing 4.07 euros ($4.72) worth of food in a supermarket in Genoa, after a customer spotted him and reported him to a member of staff, Italian media reported on Tuesday.
He was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay a 100 euro fine.
But the verdict was appealed on grounds that Ostriakov had been stopped before he had actually left the supermarket, and at a second appeal, Italy's court of cassation acquitted him.
It was clear the defendant "could not live without feeding himself, so acted out of necessity," the court said.
The Corriere della Sera daily was quick to point out the irony of a legal system in Italy which saw the theft of goods worth fewer than five euros go through three costly rounds of justice -- first instance, appeal and cassation -- before being thrown out.
Vanguard
Lucky thief,if it was Nigeria,he would been beaten to a pulp before being rescued by the Police and jailed and if he is lucky he will get minimum sentence.
Infact he mght spend the rest of his life in detention.
It has always been like dis in Italy , they don't play with food in dat country. U can enter a super market and eat whatever u like for free and without a problem but dont take d food/snacks outside. Even in a restaurant u can order for white spaghetti and eat if u don't have money no problem.
ReplyDeleteSay what???
DeleteThat's nice
DeleteIf is in Nigeria, they will set u on fire first
I tell u, I watched a Facebook video where they beat a man for just a bottle of coke in abe
DeleteIn Nigeria
ReplyDelete300years sentence with Hard labour for a poor man in Nigeria while a politicians will go through trial for 4years and they will silently forget it
Omg u funny sha n na true u talk
DeleteLol... You got that right
DeleteGbedu wey dey burst brain!
DeleteSo so correct
Lol
Portable Portable.
DeleteI see the gbedu dey burst your brain too
Lool
#GbeduWayDeyBurstBrain!!
*clapping* I think something similar exists under Shariah law but am not too sure now.
ReplyDeleteThis is what is obtainable in any sane society unlike Naija
DeleteHahahahahahahahahaha...
b4? for my village all those pple wey dey tie jazz for their fruit tree go say if u dey hungry n u pluck n eat d charm no go do u anything but if u pluuck and go sell d pers own na sorry.
ReplyDeleteGenoa fine place to be. Was there for 8 days.
ReplyDeleteI hope they are not encouraging petty petty thieves with this ruling.
shut ur dustbin der,pple like u wil hide ur garri under d chair when u hear a knock on d door,u can't give common food,they re Talkg abt pple dat steal only food here
Deletethat's y its not Nigeria Stella.
ReplyDeleteI like dis.
ReplyDeleteMercy before judgement.
Come to this country and try that.u will die in jail.could remember what happened at Ejigbo market(ikotun road) where a particular lady stole pepper,she was beatin like say 2moro no dey.d pepper was inserted into her obo.
ReplyDeleteMc pinky
Stella u are very correct. Only in Nigeria where you steal Maggi and you are sentence for life. Bt some pple steal billions and get away with it.
ReplyDeleteGbam
DeleteHunger is the beginning of wisdom...
ReplyDeleteRemember one of Stella's post that stated that you don't turn down a meal offer in Italy!
ReplyDeleteAwwwww may God bless that Judge, if na here ehn...
ReplyDeletecorrect judge. am sure he judged out of experience.
ReplyDeleteNumber one rule is to preserve ur life. He took d food so he won't die of hunger, at dat moment nothing matters buh food. Even inside jail, food dey.
ReplyDelete#yourcommentswillbevisiblenow
.....i am surprised dat y'all have forgotten that even the bible says if a man steals food in hunger,he should never be punished.italy seem a godly country den,except for their high rate prostitution and I wonder why is dat!
ReplyDelete