Robin Lee, a 45-year-old artist from Islington, was enjoying a train journey from Hackney Wick to Camden Road last Friday. That was until he was arrested by the British Transport Police (BTP) for recharging his phone using an on-board socket.
You read that right: he was handcuffed, arrested for ‘abstracting electricity’ and taken to BTP base in Caledonian Road for his indiscretion. Presumably he was looking for a power charge rather than a criminal one.
A spokesperson for the BTP spoke of the ‘incident’:
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.
Do you think the police were in the right for arresting someone for what some may be described as an irrelevant crime?
Chris is a trending and viral news editor at UNILAD.