Robin Lee was seized by police authorities on July 10 for "abstracting electricity" after he charged his iPhone while riding a London Overground train on his way from Hackney to Camden. The man was taken to the British Transport Police (BTP) station after his arrest and was identified as a 45-year-old artist who is currently residing in Islington.

Moreover, BTP will still have to decide on what course of action to take after Lee objected his previous arrest and became aggressive. After reviewing the case, BTP will submit the details to the Crown Prosecution Service to provide the decision whether charges should be filed against Lee.

On the other hand, Lee told the London Evening Standard that the arrest was "incredulous" and "ridiculous." He thought the British Transport police was "overzealous" and that he should not have been taken into police custody. According to Wired, Lee posted the unfortunate incident on his Twitter and even included pictures of his arrest sheet but he eventually deleted the tweets.

Lee related the events that led to his arrest to the Standard. He said a police community support officer (PCSO) confronted him while riding the overground train and the support officer said he was doing a crime for "abstracting electricity." After arriving at Camden Road, the PCSO called around four police officers on the platform and told them they should arrest Lee.

Under Section 13 of the Theft Act of 1968, abstracting electricity is a statutory offense in England and Wales. Anyone who commits this offense is "liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years."

Meanwhile, the British Transport police released a statement expressing their side of the story. According to them, the man became aggressive when the PCSO challenged his use of the Overground train's electricity. It was around 10:30 a.m. EST on July 9 when they arrested Lee for "abstracting electricity" but was de-arrested after. However, he was reported for another offense due to his "unacceptable behavior" after his first arrest.

It was clear that electricity sockets found in Overground trains are for "cleaners use only and not for public use" as signages clearly notifies the passengers. Members of a forum supporting the London Underground have stated that they do not recommend charging electronic equipment in trains either, since it might cause power surge or voltage spike. This will damage the equipment as power supply is not uniform from one substation to the next.