A 90-year-old man with economic problems was saved by police officers who paid for the tiramisu’ portion he had stolen from a bar in Rome, Italian media report.

The elderly man tried to hide the sweet under his jacket but was caught by the vigilant shop owner, who called the police.

When the officers turned up at the shop, they were moved by the imploring 90-year-old and, instead of taking action, they simply paid for the sweet and drove the man back to his home.

“I felt like eating something sweet,” the elderly man is reported to have told the officers.