What an odd choice of wording

All day the BBC have been in full attack mode at the severity of the sentencing of the rioters. This article entitled 'England riots: What is the impact of a criminal record?' begins:

'As the courts deal with some of the hundreds of people charged in connection with the riots, igniting a row over whether the sentences being handed out are too harsh, the BBC asks what is the real cost of a criminal conviction?'

But it is the next line that caught my eye:

'When college student Nicolas Robinson set foot in a Lidl supermarket as he walked home from his girlfriend's house, he probably didn't think his actions would land him behind bars.

But stealing a £3.50 case of bottled water during the riots in Brixton has cost the 23-year-old dearly.

Robinson, of Borough, south-east London, is now serving six months in jail.'

'set foot'? Is it just me or does that wording make it seem as though Nicolas Robinson just wandered in to the Lidl supermarket not realising it was being looted. Why are the BBC so keen on minimising the actions of many of the looters?