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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Italy's highest court of appeal, the Corte Suprema di Cassazione [wikipedia.org], has ruled that stealing small amounts of food is not a crime [bbc.com] if it is to satisfy a vital need for food:

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.

[...] The "historic" ruling is "right and pertinent", said Italiaglobale.it [italiaglobale.it] - and derives from a concept that "informed the Western world for centuries - it is called humanity". However, his case was sent to appeal on the grounds that the conviction should be reduced to attempted theft and the sentence cut, as Mr Ostriakov had not left the shop premises when he was caught. Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation, which reviews only the application of the law and not the facts of the case, on Monday made a final and definitive ruling overturning the conviction entirely. Stealing small quantities of food to satisfy a vital need for food did not constitute a crime, the court wrote.

Compare to some of the sentences handed out [theguardian.com] due to three strikes laws.

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