[LINK] German police drop iBook power rustling charge

[Tim Lister]

... a late Friday Fun piece:

German police drop iBook power rustling charge
By Jan Libbenga
the Register
Posted: 27/02/2004 at 11:45 GMT

A 23-year-old German arrested last year for plugging his laptop into a
railway station plug socket will not be prosecuted, the authorities this
week confirmed. 

Jan Michael Ihl faced the full weight of the law for stealing
electricity valued at €0.002 from the terminus in Kassel when he
connected his Apple iBook computer. The Greenpeace activist was
apparently low on battery power and fired up the laptop to find the
address of his hostel. 

Federal police swooped and slapped the cuffs on Ihl, initially on
suspicion of having lifted the machine. The charge was subsequently
altered to stealing power from the railway operator. 

Ihl is not the first voltage-rustler to face an appearance before the
beak. In Japan last year, a 38-year-old was caught red-handed after
unplugging a business's neon sign and using the socket to recharge his
mobile phone. A 22-year-old student was also charged for disconnecting a
vending machine in order to power his portable stereo. Both men are
estimated to have stolen around $0.0094 worth of electricity. ®

Tim Lister
South Sydney Greens
(02)9557 4050
webmaster at ssg.nsw.greens.org.au
http://ssg.nsw.greens.org.au
"Think Globally, Act Locally"
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