Paupers to escape prosecution for stealing food

Rome, March 23 Impoverished people who steal food should not incur criminal sanctions, Italy's Supreme Court said in a ruling made public on Wednesday.

Arrest and prosecution for theft should only occur "if such measures are justified by the seriousness of the case, that is to say its circumstances or the dangerousness of the individual", said the judgement.

Italy's Court of Cassation issued the ruling in the case of an unemployed man who was arrested for trying to steal food from a market stall.