Jail for food thief - in spite of homeowner's pardon

A MAN who stole food from a fridge has been jailed for three and a half years – despite the owner of the house saying she does not wish to press charges.

The accused got in by taking a window out of its frame, which is considered forcible and violent entry, and which was the main aspect that landed him in jail.

He stole sausages and lobsters, among other things, from the refrigerator of a home in Vigo, in the north-western region of Galicia.

The owner of the house would have been entitled to compensation from the burglar, but she declined to accept any money.

“I don't want anything. He stole food, he must have been hungry – I hope he enjoyed eating it,” she said in court.

But it was the fact that this was the second time he had burgled a house that he was sentenced to prison.

On the previous occasion, he was given a suspended three-and-a-half-year sentence, which he would not have to serve unless he committed further crimes.

And his crime of stealing food from the woman's fridge means his sentence will now have to be served.