Passenger arrested for using plug socket to charge phone on train

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Thanks to one of our members who posted this on FaceBook

http://www.itv.com/news/london/2015-07-13/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'.

Then they go on to explain ...

Sockets on London Overground carriages are marked for use by cleaners only.

and I'm taking it that Robin Lee has some job other that being a cleaner 

[ChrisB]

Hmmm. Surely they would have to show financial loss to the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)? In other words, their power bill would be higher than otherwise if thatvlug hadn't been used?

[patch38]

Suggest Robin gives BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) a PP3 battery or a charged capacitor that they can pass on to the operator. That should be quits as they get their abstracted electricity back in a handy container. 

[JayMac]

One suspects the person concerned failed the attitude test.

It is said that he became aggressive when asked to unplug his phone, and later in the incident he tried to barge past Police Officers on the platform. Electricity abstraction charge is not being pursued. It looks like a Section 5 Public Order offence is being pursued.

[Brucey]

It looks like a Section 5 Public Order offence is being pursued.

There is a copy of the custody record floating around on Twitter.  This states the other alleged offence is "unacceptable behaviour", presumably in contravention of s6 of the Railway Byelaws.

6. Unacceptable behaviour
(1) No person shall use any threatening, abusive, obscene or offensive language on the railway. 
(2) No person shall behave in a disorderly, indecent or offensive manner on the railway.
(3) No person shall write, draw, paint or fix anything on the railway.
(4) No person shall soil any part of the railway.
(5) No person shall damage or detach any partof the railway.
(6) No person shall spit on the railway.
(7) No person shall drop litter or leave waste on the railway.
( No person shall molest or wilfully interfere with the comfort or convenience of any person on the railway.

I would imagine prosecuting under the byelaws is easier than the Public Order Act as there is no requirement to show intent to cause a person harassment, alarm or distress.

[Trowres]

(3) No person shall write, draw, paint or fix anything on the railway

Ahh... so that's why we have rusty signal posts that fall on the track 

( No person shall molest or wilfully interfere with the comfort or convenience of any person on the railway.

Discuss how this applies to rolling stock specifiers...

(4) No person shall soil any part of the railway.

Wider scope than "do not use when train is standing at a station" 

And while we're on the bye laws, although more for "pedant alert", from section 1:

Any person directed by a notice to queue, or when asked to queue by an authorised person, shall join the rear of the queue and obey the reasonable instructions of any authorised person regulating the queue

Who can find an image of a "queue here" sign?

[ChrisB]

We have one at Banbury, along with a "Queue at other end" sign too.

[TaplowGreen]

One suspects the person concerned failed the attitude test.

It is said that he became aggressive when asked to unplug his phone, and later in the incident he tried to barge past Police Officers on the platform. Electricity abstraction charge is not being pursued. It looks like a Section 5 Public Order offence is being pursued.

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News this morning said he was de-arrested, no case to answer.

I would hope that the Police have better things to do to be honest.

[bobm]

Meanwhile a problem has been noted with the new sockets on the refurbished FGW^▸ (First Great Western) vehicles.  Apparently the blue LED lights are prone to overheating.  Until a solution is found the sockets and usb chargers are being disconnected when the coach next reaches a depot for maintenance. 

[TaplowGreen]

Meanwhile a problem has been noted with the new sockets on the refurbished FGW^▸ (First Great Western) vehicles.  Apparently the blue LED lights are prone to overheating.  Until a solution is found the sockets and usb chargers are being disconnected when the coach next reaches a depot for maintenance. 

..........you couldn't really make it up could you?

I've seen quite a few complaints on social media about this, I guess to some extent it means the lack of reliable WiFi isn't such an issue, as people's laptops etc will run out of juice anyway and won't be able to recharge!!! 

[ChrisB]

Talk about taking a xxx to crack a nut....why not simply disconnext the blue LED lights & leave the sockets/USB plugs working?

[JayMac]

I'd hazard a guess that the lights are on the same circuit as the sockets. The circuit has to be switched off until maintenance teams can disconnect or replace the lights.

[didcotdean]

Hmmm. Surely they would have to show financial loss to the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)? In other words, their power bill would be higher than otherwise if thatvlug hadn't been used?

The offence is: "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". (My emphasis).

It isn't a separate offence as such, just one of the definitions of theft.

[patch38]

I'd hazard a guess that the lights are on the same circuit as the sockets. The circuit has to be switched off until maintenance teams can disconnect or replace the lights.

Are the blue LEDs indicators that power is on or are they used for illumination? I'm guessing the latter.

[ChrisB]

Purely decorative, I'm pretty sure.