Throw away the key!!

[GomiGirl]

File this in a WTF???

Japanese man jailed for 12 cent theft

Sydney Morning Herald December 21, 2012

A court in Japan has jailed a 66-year-old man for a year for stealing 10 yen (12 cents) from a temple offering box, reducing his original sentence by eight months. A district court ordered Masafumi Tsuruhara to spend 20 months in prison earlier this year after being caught taking the coin at Kongou-buji Temple in Wakayama, western Japan. Tsuruhara appealed to Osaka High Court, insisting he had just been "playing with it", press reports said on Friday.

A judge on Thursday said the sentence was "too heavy", they added. A court spokeswoman confirmed the jail term had been reduced to one year. "It's 10 yen, but it is still cash," the judge was quoted by local media as saying. "The motive is selfish. His criminal responsibility cannot be treated lightly."Under Japanese law, theft is punishable by up to 10 years' jail or a fine of up to 500,000 yen.

AFP

[Russell]

I'd better be careful next time before I pick up a 1 Yen coin from the street...

[yanpa]

I would love to know if there's more to this, like the accused being a obstreperous old fart with previous

However, this being Japan, any authoritative online reports have probably long since expired and we're left with what's on various 2nd hand blogs.

FWIW this report indicates the sum in question was 2003 yen.

[Coligny]

I'd better be careful next time before I pick up a 1 Yen coin from the street...

I never pick anything of the street...

Well... except roadkills...

I collect them...

You should have seen my collection of dead parisian pigeons... before it was confiscated by the customs when I moved in...

[American Oyaji]

That's still excessive.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Methinks there is more to this story than meets the eye...to warrant this treatment, he must be a repeat offender of some grossly iredeemable type collared on the only thing they can get him for. (My guess is a recalcitrant attitude to separating waste...)