Stealing food not a crime if you're in need, Italian court finds

By Benjamin Soloway
Updated May 4 2016 - 8:33am, first published 6:50am
When is stealing not a crime? When the thief is hungry, an Italian court rules. Photo: AFR
When is stealing not a crime? When the thief is hungry, an Italian court rules. Photo: AFR
Stolen: about $6 worth of sausage. Photo: SMH
Stolen: about $6 worth of sausage. Photo: SMH
Italian sausage. Photo: The Age
Italian sausage. Photo: The Age

Roman Ostriakov, 36, couldn't afford anything to eat, so he stole about $6 worth of cheese and sausage from a supermarket in Genoa, Italy, in 2011. He was caught, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to pay a fine of €100 and serve six months in prison. An appeals court upheld the decision.