Italy's supreme Cassation Court
ruled Monday that electricity is not considered "essential for
life" and thus illegal connections are punishable even if those
who steal energy claim they are doing so because they are in a
"state of need" and can't afford to pay.
The court upheld the conviction of a woman in Puglia for
stealing energy.
The woman was unemployed, with a pregnant daughter, and had
been evicted.
The court ruled that lack of electricity doesn't endanger
life.
"The lack of electricity did not pose any current danger of
serious damage to the person, since it is a good that is not
essential for life," the Court said.
The woman's original sentence had been slightly reduced by
the Lecce Court of Appeals in 2016.
The Cassation Court sentenced the woman to pay a 2,000-euro
fine for the "pretextuality" of her appeal.
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