A court in Macedonia has convicted a bear of theft and criminal damage for stealing honey from a beekeeper. However, there was an empty dock, and no handcuffed bear. This report from Paddy Clark:

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For a while, he kept the animal away by buying a generator, lighting up the area, and playing thumping Serbian turbo-folk music. But when the generator ran out of power and the music fell silent, the bear was back and the honey was gone again.

The beekeeper decided to go to law, and the bear was tried in absentia. The court agreed he had a case and found the bear guilty. But because the animal had no owner and belonged to a protected species, it ordered the state to pay for the damage.

The bear, meanwhile, remains at large -- somewhere in Macedonia.

Paddy Clark, BBC

Listen to the words

exasperated
very annoyed/angry

vainly
unsuccessfully

thumping Serbian turbo-folk music
very loud music with a strong beat and of a particular style (we’re not entirely sure what Serbian turbo-folk music sounds like, perhaps you could email us and let us know)

ran out of power
did not have any fuel left to keep it working

the music fell silent
the music stopped

to go to law
to ask a court to make a decision about something

the bear was tried in absentia
the bear’s guilt or innocence was decided without the bear being in court

a case
an issue that needs to be decided in a court of law

found the bear guilty
decided the bear was responsible for the damage (at the end of the official legal enquiry)

remains at large
is still free and living somewhere in the country

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