Each is entitled to their opinion.
I was just trying to give a different perspective.
Instead of judging the severity of the crime by the dollar amount, judge it by the actions of those involved. I would not like someone stealing from me no matter how much it was.
It only takes a moment to ask the owners permission but if they say no, then even if he thought he should be allowed, he still should have respected the owners wishes and not continued.
If someone asked to plug into my house i would have no hesitation. Like you said it is a small amount. Not quite 5c for me seeing as our electricity supplier charges nearly 40c/kwH, but that is a different sort of crime.
