Passenger arrested for using plug socket to charge phone on

Passenger arrested for using plug socket to charge phone on train

A passenger was arrested for using a plug socket to charge his phone on a train. 45-year-old Robin Lee was travelling on a London Overground train in east London when his battery was running low.


Robin was arrested at Camden Road and accused of taking electricity illegally.

She [police community support officer] 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'.

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.

Robin was later de-arrested at a British Transport Police base in north London.
We were called to Camden Road London Overground station on Friday, July 10, to a report of a man becoming aggressive when challenged by a PCSO about his use of a plug socket on board an Overground train.

Shortly after 3.30pm, a 45-year-old man from Islington was arrested on suspicion of abstracting electricity, for which he was de-arrested shortly after.

He was further arrested for unacceptable behaviour and has been reported for this offence.

– BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE