Thieves with a conscience

Italian police have caught two very well-mannered thieves: one who left roses to ‘say sorry’ for holding up cashiers, and another who stole from the rich to give to the poor. The modern day ‘Robin Hood’ and a bouquet-wielding burglar made the headlines as ‘gentlemen robbers’ who left trails of good will and rose petals behind their heists. Pasquale D’Angelo, a 37-year-old volunteer at a religious organization in Rimini, held up banks in Rimini and Forlì with a toy gun then, reportedly, distributed his booty among the patrons of a nearby bar, butcher’s shop, fruit stand and hairdresser. He was nabbed by police after he stopped to give some money to prostitutes in the area meanwhile police in Genoa apprehended a man who robbed shops, banks, post offices and a hospital. Identified by the initials R.F., the 48-year-old also used a toy gun before giving flowers to his victims. ‘It’s a way of saying “sorry”’, he explained.