Stealing food out of hunger is not a
crime, Italy's highest Cassation Court ruled Monday.
In this way the judges overturned a 2015 conviction for
theft against Roman Ostriakov, a homeless man who stole four
euros' worth of cheese and hot dogs at the supermarket.
Stealing small quantities of food to fulfill "the essential
need for nourishment does not constitute a crime", the court
wrote.
Ostriakov was stopped on his way out of the supermarket
with the cheese and dogs in his pocket after a customer noticed
he only paid for some breadsticks, reported him to management.
"The condition of the defendant and the circumstances in
which the merchandise theft took place prove that he took
possession of that small amount of food in the face of the
immediate and essential need for nourishment, acting therefore
in a state of need," wrote the court.
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