Now I’ll be honest with you, as a non-smoker, I just assumed that smoking in hospital was not allowed – especially on the wards.

That makes perfect sense to me so I find it more than a little astonishing to learn that when staff at a hospital in Cardiff warned a man found to be continually smoking by nurses at a hospital in Cardiff he replied that he couldn’t care less and that if he wanted a fag he would have one.

So in spite of everything the man involved, Lee Williams, continued to ignore warnings and then lit up whilst wearing an oxygen mask.

The results were pretty much as anyone with a grain of intelligence one might have expected – a serious fire and £50,000 worth of damage, resulting in dozens of patients having to be evacuated, nursing staff being treated for smoke inhalation and the ward being closed for a fortnight.

Williams was discovered amidst a growing blaze on his bed, being lightly flambeed and sporting a blackened nose and serious burns around his mouth.

He subsequently needed emergency treatment, including being connected to a defibrillator.

Cardiff Crown Court was told that Williams who had 25 convictions for 68 previous offences admitted assaulting an emergency worker and arson with intent to endanger life, but said he was very sorry for the incident of which he had little recollection.

His defence council claimed that he might have been in a state of confusion through self-medication’, having had alcohol and drug misuse issues since childhood.

Williams – who was also sentenced for other charges relating to possession of an air rifle – was handed a five-year prison sentence.

In the second hour, Margaret Mills dropped by to tell us about a famous benefactor of Billericay, a worthy by the name of THOMAS JENNER SPITTY – lovely name. Anyway listen again here to what Margaret told me about this gentleman: –

See you again next week,
Scott