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Man Arrested After Charging iPhone On London Overground Train

Posted by samzenpus on from the leave-my-plug-alone dept.

An anonymous reader writes: 45-year-old Robin Lee was arrested after he used a socket on a London Overground train to charge up his iPhone. He was handcuffed and arrested for "abstracting electricity". Robin was then charged with "unacceptable behaviour" after "becoming aggressive" when objecting to his first arrest. The Guardian reports: "Speaking to the Evening Standard, Lee said he had been confronted by a police community support officer on the overground train from Hackney Wick to Camden Road on 10 July. The Overground is part of Transport For London’s wider network that also includes London Underground and the buses. '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’.”

14 of 674 comments (clear)

  1. Tax dollars at work. by The+Rizz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yup. Let's spend thousands of dollars worth of man-hours and paperwork and court time over 10 cents worth of electricity.

    1. Re:Tax dollars at work. by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's a power-trip thing. For the arresting officer, I mean... not the phone.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    2. Re:Tax dollars at work. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yup. Let's spend thousands of dollars worth of man-hours and paperwork and court time over 10 cents worth of electricity.

      Not even close.

      UK average price per kWH: 0.15 GBP1
      iPhone battery capacity: 4.12 WH to 11.1 WH2
      iPhone charging efficiency: 61%3

      So assuming he fully-charged his iPhone 6 Plus, 11.1WH * 0.61 * 0.15/1000 = 0.00101565, he would have used 0.1 UK cents worth of electricity. If he was using an iPhone with a smaller battery and/or didn't charge the phone all of the way, the power consumed would be even less.

      Sources:

      1. 1. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416987/table_224.xls
      2. 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone
      3. 3. http://kjordahl.net/blog/?p=82
    3. Re:Tax dollars at work. by Eunuchswear · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well, no. It was a PCSO, a part-time cop's helper, who made all the fuss, not the train company.

      The real cops decided not to arrest the guy because they realized it wasn't worth it, but he was then such an irritating piece of shit that they re-arrested him for being a dick in a public place.

      Both the fake cop and the "I need to charge my iPhone, waaa" baby are clearly morons.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    4. Re:Tax dollars at work. by fgouget · · Score: 5, Informative

      So assuming he fully-charged his iPhone 6 Plus, 11.1WH * 0.61 * 0.15/1000 = 0.00101565, he would have used 0.1 UK cents worth of electricity.

      I think your calculation is wrong. The charging efficiency normally specifies the fraction of the consumed energy that actually ends up being stored in the battery. So your calculation should be 11.1WH / 0.61 * 0.15/1000 = 0.00272950 so almost 0.3 pennies. Still not enough to make it worth charging him (though I don't know what the capacity or charging efficiency is in his case ;-).

    5. Re:Tax dollars at work. by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Forgot about the miniscule amount of energy for a minute. Would it be ok to run an extension cord from an outlet on your porch to power my fan when I get overheated riding my bike near your house?

      Yes, that would be fine with me.

      My home has several outlets outside, if someone needed to use one for 20 min to charge their phone or run a fan, I couldn't care less.

      A knock on the door to ask would be nice, but if I'm not home, I don't care.

      The amount of power is trivial and not worth caring about.

      There is a principle involved here.

      Perhaps, but there is also what is reasonable and polite society to consider.

      We're not Vulcan, we're human, and being considerate to each other is a good thing.

  2. Re:Abstracting by amalcolm · · Score: 5, Informative

    Uh ... seems right to me: abstract verb gerund or present participle: abstracting bstrakt/ 1. consider something theoretically or separately from (something else). "to abstract science and religion from their historical context can lead to anachronism" 2. extract or remove (something). "applications to abstract more water from streams" synonyms: extract, pump, draw (off), tap, suck, withdraw, remove, take out/away; More

    --
    Time for bed, said Zebedee - boing
  3. Re:Abstracting by Bovius · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh. I guess it does mean what you think it means. Carry on then.

  4. iPhone by dhaen · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Why does nearly every article mention the type of phone?

    Would it be any different if he was charging a cheap Nolkia - or even his shaver?

    1. Re:iPhone by thegarbz · · Score: 5, Funny

      One does not charge a Nokia, one simply unpacks it and then uses it while it refuses to die despite all your best efforts.

  5. Read TFA by clickety6 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    While arrest may have been an overreaction, the guy was using a socket clearly marked not for public use and then seems to have become aggressive when asked to unplug his phone. Maybe he needs to look at his own behaviour as well.

    --
    ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
  6. Re:abstracting electricity? by TarpaKungs · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.legislation.gov.uk/...

    "13 Abstracting of electricity.
    A person who dishonestly uses without due authority, or dishonestly causes to be wasted or diverted, any electricity shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years."

    So yes, the language is precisely correct.

    Technically he has also committed a criminal offence.

    However, PCSOs (which are sometimes known unaffectionately at "plastic policemen" are non warranted police officers with very limited powers. Most of their arresting powers are actually the same as those available to any citizen (aka "citizens arrest") and have very limited conditions of applicability. PCSOs do have some additional powers specially granted:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    However, they are a modern invention and of considerably lower status, both legally and in the public perception compared to the more traditional volunteer role of "Special Constable" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    The problem here is that PCSOs generally lack common sense and seem to be power-happy. Unfortunately their warranted colleagues feel some obligation to back them up, rather than telling them to grow up, as might be applicable in cases like this.

    Unfortunately for the artist, even through he has been de-arrested, he now probably no longer qualifies for the visa waiver programme for entry to the USA as the US notion of arrest is somewhat different to the English notion and the USA as far as I know does not have a concept of "de-arrest".

    So actual harm has been done. No wonder the public perception of the police is falling like a lead balloon.

    --
    Why can't women be like Hedy Lamarr - beautiful, talented and inventors of frequency-hopping spread-spectrum techn
  7. Re:Your post doesn't conform to their prejudice by Eunuchswear · · Score: 5, Informative

    On this actual subject, this is 100% LOL worthy and really did have me snigger because I'm thinking "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK ELECTRICAL SOCKETS ARE FOR YOU DUMBASS!!!".

    They're for the cleaning staff to plug their vacuum cleaners in. They are clearly labelled "not for use by the public".

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  8. Re:Your post doesn't conform to their prejudice by michelcolman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, and there was a recent incident where a cleaner was arrested for plugging his vacuum cleaner into one of those sockets.