Case over less than 1p of electricity dropped

The Crown Prosecution service (CPS) have dropped a case against a filmmaker charged with stealing electricity, it was today revealed.

Mark Guard, 44, from West London appeared in court twice for dishonestly using a reported 0.003 pence worth of electricity before the case against him was shelved.

Mr Guard was filming squatters in a disused building in north-west London when the alarm was set off.

He stayed to turn off the alarm but was arrested by police when they arrived at the property.

He was charged with dishonestly using, without due authority, a quantity of electricity.

Mr Guard appeared before north London's Highbury Magistrates court earlier this month where he elected to be tried by a jury.

But during a second court appearance yesterday, the CPS dropped the case against him.

A CPS spokesman explained: "We reviewed the evidence and decided that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case."

Mr Guard told the Daily Mail: "I thought I was acting in the public interest. It was late in the evening and I knew families would have struggled to get to sleep if I hadn't done something.

"I even offered to pay 1p to the energy company which supplies electricity to the house, but it's not bothered about collecting such a paltry sum."