Italy's top court acquits homeless man who snuck into house to sleep

[Daneman]

Italy's top court has ruled that a homeless man should not be punished for spending the night in a private residence.

An appeals court in Brescia, northern Italy, had sentenced the man to three months and ten days in jail after he allegedly snuck into a private home in a Lombard town.

The man had entered a house in Desenzano del Garda on the shores of Lake Garda in late November the previous year.

Initially, he had been accused of burglary, however the charge was downgraded to trespassing (violazione di domicilio) by the appeals court in 2015.

But in the ruling published on Thursday, supreme court judges quashed the ruling, saying the man should not be punished due to his "particular circumstances of poverty and exclusion".

https://www.thelocal.it/20170908/ita...ivate-property

How ridiculous! Do people not have a right to control who gets to be on their property any longer if the offender is poor?!

[Deleted]

I've been to Italy this summer for 2 weeks. Never seen so many poor and homeless people walking/lying around in cities. Even worse than Paris

[Razorice]

Can't blame to poor guy, but I think that some sort of soft punishment should not be ignored, he did trespass after all.

[Acidz]

A hefty fine seems appropriate.

[zenkai]

Italy's top court has ruled that a homeless man should not be punished for spending the night in a private residence.

An appeals court in Brescia, northern Italy, had sentenced the man to three months and ten days in jail after he allegedly snuck into a private home in a Lombard town.

The man had entered a house in Desenzano del Garda on the shores of Lake Garda in late November the previous year.

Initially, he had been accused of burglary, however the charge was downgraded to trespassing (violazione di domicilio) by the appeals court in 2015.

But in the ruling published on Thursday, supreme court judges quashed the ruling, saying the man should not be punished due to his "particular circumstances of poverty and exclusion".

https://www.thelocal.it/20170908/ita...ivate-property

How ridiculous! Do people not have a right to control who gets to be on their property any longer if the offender is poor?!

I hope a homeless guy breaks in their homes and sleeps in their beds. He was only acquitted because they don't want to pay to give him a warm bed and a hot meal

[Ashnazg]

I hope a homeless guy breaks in their homes and sleeps in their beds. He was only acquitted because they don't want to pay to give him a warm bed and a hot meal

Probably true. Damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. If you jail him, then you have to pay his upkeep, if you let him go, then people start asking questions.

[Sevarin]

A hefty fine seems appropriate.

how do you suppose a poor, homeless, jobless man will end up paying this hefty fine? cant tell if serious.

[Independent voter]

So it's one homeless guy, he invites a friend. Suddenly you have a dozen homeless crashing there, hypodermic needles everywhere, plugged up toilet running over, someone rips the copper wiring out of the wall to sell it.

[the game]

I've been to Italy this summer for 2 weeks. Never seen so many poor and homeless people walking/lying around in cities. Even worse than Paris

You've obviously never been to New York.

[Aeula]

Huh, guess there's no point paying for a hotel if I ever go to Italy.

[Puri]

So instead of having a home for almost four months they send him back to the street. Clever!

[SL1200]

A hefty fine seems appropriate.

For a homeless guy?

[ParanoiD84]

If i where homeless i would love to be in prison, a place to sleep and food, tv and videogames to if your lucky.

[Rotted]

If i where homeless i would love to be in prison, a place to sleep and food.

Not all homeless people are homeless due to not having a home.

He's dead now (Irony from hypothermia) but back in my college town there was a homeless guy on the streets for a few years, now in that country its quiet rare to see someone homeless so the council stepped in, put him in council housing rent free until he sorted himself out, furnished the place the whole works. When he died they went in to clean up his stuff. He hadn't used the house at all to sleep in, he put some stuff in the landing as storage and that was it. It turned out the guy was massively claustrophobic, even the house induced him into panic attacks and anxiety, thus the reason he was homeless in the first place. Apparently it just came out of no where one day so he just upped and left his life behind sleeping in fields, river sides etc.

Anyways, on topic I'd like to know more of the situation the guy was in, did he just go fuck it tonight I want a roof over my head? or was it a horrendous storm which just wasn't safe to be in?

If the first, by all means throw him do a punishment, although anything short of prison Idk how you'd enforce it.

[AeneasBK]

I've been to Italy this summer for 2 weeks. Never seen so many poor and homeless people walking/lying around in cities. Even worse than Paris

Isn't this the case across all major European cities?

EDIT: Sorry I missread your post thought you were saying there was an increase in homelessness in Italy; my bad.

Also : Article states that he "snuck" in not "broke" in which implies the property wasn't secured. I'm not suggseting that makes it "less of a crime" to the more judicious; but it might have mitigated the circumstances a little.

[arandomuser]

Well if he didnt steal anything or break there property, i mean thats why we distinguish manslaughter from murder, the intent matters alot in their court i would assume.

[Frolk]

A hefty fine seems appropriate.

Did u think before making this comment or, cause i cant tell if ur serious or not.

[Ashnazg]

You've obviously never been to New York.

I live in NYC, and I've seen far more beggars and hobos on the streets in Venice and Milan than I do in NYC. My close friend has a wife in Paris, and he says its even worse there.

Granted, I haven't been to Bronx or Brooklyn projects, but Manhattan downtown through 150th looks fine, and so does Queens / Downtown Brooklyn.

[GreenJesus]

So the legal precedent is anyone can sleep anywhere if they are short on money? Cool. Hope the homeless guy at least washed the sheets and fixed the bed after.

[Deleted]

Italy's top court has ruled that a homeless man should not be punished for spending the night in a private residence.

An appeals court in Brescia, northern Italy, had sentenced the man to three months and ten days in jail after he allegedly snuck into a private home in a Lombard town.

The man had entered a house in Desenzano del Garda on the shores of Lake Garda in late November the previous year.

Initially, he had been accused of burglary, however the charge was downgraded to trespassing (violazione di domicilio) by the appeals court in 2015.

But in the ruling published on Thursday, supreme court judges quashed the ruling, saying the man should not be punished due to his "particular circumstances of poverty and exclusion".

https://www.thelocal.it/20170908/ita...ivate-property

How ridiculous! Do people not have a right to control who gets to be on their property any longer if the offender is poor?!

Rejoice! All the terrorists have been caught.