News / Society

Londoner arrested for ‘abstracting electricity’ on train

Tuesday, 14 July 2015 3:17 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 14 July 2015 3:18 PM ]

A man was arrested for charging his iphone on an Overground train in London.

A man has been arrested in London for charging his phone using a socket on a London Overground train.

Robin Lee, a 45 year old artist from North London, was handcuffed and arrested for abstracting electricity. Lee was then also arrested for unacceptable behavior after he allegedly became aggressive when showing his objection to the arrest.

Describing the incident, Lee said “She said I’m abstracting electricity. She kept saying it’s a crime. We were just coming into the station and there happened to be about four police officers on the platform. She called to them and said: ‘This guy’s been abstracting electricity, he needs to be arrested’.”

The maximum amount of electricity Lee could have stolen would have been 0.052 pence and some are calling his arrest a waste of his and police time.

The offence of abstracting electricity could lead to a maximum custodial sentence of five years. Lee who posted a picture of the arrest sheet on his social media, believes the police were being overzealous and that the whole situation was ridiculous.

“We were called to Camden Road London Overground station on Friday 10 July to a report of a man becoming aggressive when challenged by a PCSO about his use of a plug socket onboard an Overground train,” said a statement by the British Transport Police.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for TFL said that all the sockets on the train are clearly marked to say they are for cleaners use only and not passengers.

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