Breaking News English

An Italian court has [ruled / riled] that food theft brought about by hunger is not illegal. Italy's highest court of [appealing / appeal] , the Supreme Court of Cassation, threw [up / out] the conviction of a homeless Ukrainian man, Roman Ostriakov, who was sentenced [to / for] six months in jail for stealing cheese and a sausage [worthy / worth] $4.50. Mr Ostriakov was also [funded / fined] $115 by the trial court. His lawyers [initially / initials] appealed for a reduction in that fine and were surprised when the whole [convicted / conviction] was quashed. The court said Mr Ostriakov taking the food, "does not constitute a crime" because he [stole / stealing] a small amount of food out of desperation. The court of appeal ruled that stealing small amounts of food to [stave / staff] off hunger is not a crime.

Many people hope Mr Ostriakov’s case will [lowlight / highlight] the extent of poverty and homelessness in Italy. They also believe the ruling may mean other hungry people who are arrested [from / for] shoplifting will not be convicted. Criminal lawyer Maurizio Bellacosa said the Ostriakov [cease / case] , "is a new principle, and it might lead to a more [frequently / frequent] application of the state of [necessity / necessary] linked to poverty situations". The court ruled in a statement that: "People should not be [punishment / punished] if, forced by need, they steal small [qualities / quantities] of food in order to meet the basic [requires / requirement] of feeding themselves." Italy's La Stampa newspaper said: "The court's decision [rescinds / reminds] us all that in a civilised country, no one should be allowed to [die / death] of hunger."