Italian court rules food theft 'not a crime' if hungry [View all]

[FrodosPet]

Source: BBC

Stealing small amounts of food to stave off hunger is not a crime, Italy's highest court of appeal has ruled.

Judges overturned a theft conviction against Roman Ostriakov after he stole cheese and sausages worth €4.07 (£3; $4.50) from a supermarket.

Mr Ostriakov, a homeless man of Ukrainian background, had taken the food "in the face of the immediate and essential need for nourishment", the court of cassation decided.

Therefore it was not a crime, it said.

~ snip ~

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36190557?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link

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In a humane world, no one would need to take any food without permission. The able bodied would have a job that paid enough that people could survive on their earnings. With enough surplus to take care of the children, the frail, and the elderly.