An Italian court has ruled <decidiu> that food theft <roubo> brought about by<causado por> hunger <fome> is not illegal. Italy’s highest court of appeal <tribunal de apelação>, the Supreme Court of Cassation, threw out the conviction <sentença> of a homeless <sem-teto> Ukrainian man, Roman Ostriakov, who was sentenced to six months in jail for stealing cheese and a sausage worth <que vale> $4.50. Mr Ostriakov was also fined <multado> $115 by the trial court <tribunal>. His lawyers initially appealed for a reduction in that fine and were surprised when the whole conviction was quashed <anulada>. The court said Mr Ostriakov taking the food, “does not constitute <constitui> a crime” because he stole a small amount of food out of desperation <desespero>. The court of appeal ruled that stealing small amounts of food to stave off <saciar> hunger is not a crime.
Many people hope Mr Ostriakov’s case will highlight <destacar> the extent<tamanho> of poverty <pobreza> and homelessness <falta de moradia> in Italy. They also believe the ruling may mean other hungry people who are arrested <preso> for shoplifting <furto em lojas> will not be convicted. Criminal lawyer Maurizio Bellacosa said the Ostriakov case, “is a new principle, and it might lead to a more frequent application of the state of necessity linked to poverty situations”. The court ruled in a statement that: “People should not be punished <punido> if, forced by need, they steal small quantities of food in order to meet the basic requirement of feeding themselves <alimentar a si mesmos>.” Italy’s La Stampa newspaper said: “The court’s decision reminds us all <lembrar a todos nós> that in a civilised <civilizado> country, no one should be allowed <deixado> to die of hunger.”
Source: http://breakingnewsenglish.com/1605/160507-food-theft.html
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