A US man is facing up to 30 years in jail - for stealing a single doughnut.

Scott Masters, 41, is accused of slipping the doughnut inside his sweatshirt, then pushing away a female store worker who tried to stop him fleeing the store in Farmington, Minnesota. US authorities said the push was being treated as a minor assault, which transforms a simple shoplifting charge into the more serious demeanour of strong-arm robbery.

It carries a potential prison term of five to 15 years but as Mr Masters already has a criminal record, prosecutors are entitled to double his sentence. It means that he faces a maximum 30-year stint behind bars. Mr Masters admits he tried to steal the doughnut but denies having assaulted the clerk.

Speaking from jail, he told the St Louis Post-Dispatch: "Strong-arm robbery? Over a doughnut? That's impossible. There's no way I would've pushed a woman over a doughnut." To make matters worse, Mr Masters said he did not even get the chance to savour the snack - he threw it away as he fled the scene.

Farmington Police Chief Rick Baker said state law treats the shoplifting and assault as forcibly stealing property - and the amount of force and value of the property does not matter. "It's not the doughnut," Mr Baker said. "It's the assault."

Good job he didn't grab a gateaux!

"Round up the usual suspects."

The original was here.