Burglar Arrested in Italy While He Took Time Out from Robbery to Read about Greek Mythology
A burglar was arrested in Rome who stopped to read a book about Greek mythology during a robbery of an apartment.
This is reported by La Repubblica.
The 38-year-old Italian entered the house in the upmarket Prati neighbourhood through the balcony and was distracted by a book on the bedside table,
Hearing strange noises, the 71-year-old homeowner called the police and then saw the burglar sitting on the balcony reading.
According to journalists, the burglar was reading a book about the Iliad called ‘Gods at Six: The Iliad for an Aperitif’ (Gli Dei alle sei. L'Iliade all'ora dell'aperitivo) by Giovanni Nucci, who studies Greek mythology.
The attacker then tried to escape from the same balcony, but was caught by law enforcement officers. A bag with designer clothes, probably stolen from another house, was seized from him.
The man allowed himself to be handcuffed, but denied that he had tried to rob the elderly man.
‘I didn't want to steal. I got into the house by climbing up to the balcony on the first floor to visit my friend. But on the way up, I fell and injured my leg. To recover from the fall, I sat down on the terrace when I saw the book,’ the detainee told the court.
The judge did not believe this version, as other stolen property was found in the suspect's bag, so he imposed a pre-trial restraint in the form of a ban on staying in the territory of the municipality of Rome.
The ‘intelligent robber’ was also ordered to report once a week to the police station of the Mentana municipality, where he lives.