Be careful where you charge your phone because you might be charged with stealing electricity. That's what a 45-year-old artist from Britain discovered when he plugged his iPhone into a socket on a train to charge it.
Robin Lee was traveling from Hackney Wick to Camden Road when the incident took place on July 10. He was allegedly charging his iPhone in a London Overground Train socket when a community support officer confronted him to say he was taking the train's electricity illegally.
According to UK reports, the man was arrested on suspicion of abstracting electricity. He was handcuffed and put into a van by at least four other police officers after he was escorted off the train by the community officer, whom he described as "overzealous."
In a tweet, which Lee posted and has since been deleted, he described his frustration at his arrest.
"I was just incredulous. It was an overzealous community support officer. They should never have arrested me, they knew it was ridiculous. The whole thing was just ridiculous," he said.
He has also described how he attempted to push past the officers when they met him on the platform at the train station.
The British Transport Police (BTP), meanwhile, issued its own statement saying that Lee became aggressive when he was challenged by the community officer on the train over his use of the socket for his iPhone.
Apparently, the sockets on board London Overground Trains are marked for use by cleaners only and are not to be used by the public.
Reportedly, Lee was shortly thereafter "de-arrested" and placed under arrest on the charge of unacceptable behavior instead.
A BTP spokesperson further explained that the details of the incident are being forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service for review, after which it will be decided if charges will be brought against him.
Photos: Linus Φόλλερτ | Flickr
