Lawyer: Man fined $122 was only looking at painting

BARCELONA, Spain, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A Barcelona, Spain, man fined $122 for rummaging through trash on the street was only looking at a painting that had been abandoned, his lawyer said.

Maria Assumpcio Vilas, the public defender representing the man, said police did not listen to the man's story before slapping him with the fine when they found him looking at the painting next to a trash bin on a Barcelona street in 2011, TheLocal.es reported Wednesday.

Vilas said the man had not been rummaging through the trash and had only stopped to look at the picture.