Talk about tough love; and all for stealing some birds.

That’s what happened to Vanadzor resident Artur Petrosyan, a father of two minor children.

Last year, the man was sentenced to three years and four months for stealing three chickens and eight pigeons with an estimated value of 33,000 AMD ($67). Hetq obtained the details via the DataLex Judiciary Portal.

According to the indictment, Petrosyan’s neighbor, Davit Kirakosyan, caught him in the act and proceeded to beat him. Kirakosyan wasn’t prosecuted because the two reconciled.

Petrosyan had neither an attorney or public defendant to represent him at the trial. The verdict was never appealed.

The birds were later returned to Kirakosyan.

Petrosyan, who has prior convictions, plead guilty to the theft. He argued that he planned to sell the birds and thus make some money to take care of his wife and two kids.

In her verdict, Judge Narineh Hovakimyan stated that given the level of danger posed to the public by Petrosyan’s criminal act she had no recourse but to sentence the culprit to jail as punishment.

The judge added that there was no basis for a conditional sentence; i.e., for the sentence to be waived.