Artist arrested for charging his iPhone on London train

He was arrested for 'abstracting electricity'

A customer inspects the new iPhone at the Wangfujing flagship store on September 20, 2013 in Beijing, China (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

An artist has been arrested for using a plug on a London Overground train to charge his iPhone.

Robin Lee, 45, was handcuffed and taken into a police van after using the plug socket on a train from Hackney Wick to Camden on Friday.

Lee, who lives in Islington, described the incident as “ridiculous”.

He was initially confronted by a police community support officer on the train and told he was taking “abstracting” electricity illegally.

He was then arrested shortly after getting off the train at Camden Road.

Lee told the Evening Standard that four police officers were on the platform waiting for him. He was handcuffed when he tried to push past and put into a van.

Robin Lee, 45 (Robin Lee/ Twitter)

He was taken to the British Transport police base in Caledonian Road, Islington, before being de-arrested.

Lee said: “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.“

A British Transport Police spokesman said: “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.”

A Transport for London spokeswoman told the Independent that there are stickers near London Overground train plug points explaining they are "not for public use, only for the cleaners."

She added that Lee's arrest was not due to his use of the plug socket but was due to his actions which were not "forthcoming" when he was "politely" asked to remove his phone charger.