In the Italian capital of Rome, a thief was caught in a remarkable way: he pulled a book from the shelf and sat down to read it. The author of the work responded enthusiastically and offered to give the book to the thief as a gift “so that he could finish it.”
According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica The 38-year-old book thief climbed into an apartment via a balcony in Rome’s fashionable Prati district. He wasn’t looking for jewelry or money, but a book on Greek mythology caught his eye. He grabbed it from the bedside table and sat on the balcony reading.
This gave the apartment occupant enough time to spot the thief and call the police. Officers were able to arrest the man a short time later.
“I think it’s great”
His defense was equally astonishing: he claimed he had climbed the building to visit a friend. “I thought I had ended up in a bed and breakfast, and I saw the book and started reading it.” Unfortunately for him, police also found a bag full of stolen clothes, which had been taken from another house that same evening.
Author Giovanni Nucci told Italian media he would like to give the thief a copy of his book, so he could read it later in his spare time. “I think it’s great,” he told Il Messaggero. “I would like to give him my book, because if he had been caught red-handed, he probably wouldn’t have finished it. I would like to give him that opportunity.”
In X, the writer says in a letter: “I hope he doesn’t end up in prison.”