Reg reader in exploding phone charger drama

Three year-old son hit by Sony Ericsson debris

An angry Register reader has told how his Sony Ericsson CST-20 charger exploded on Monday night, spraying the room with shrapnel. Swindon man Scott Wichall said the lid of the smoking unit flew across the kitchen, striking his three-year-old son Kieran square in the chest.

Kieran was “very scared” by the incident. Scott had plugged in the six-month-old incendiary device just 45 seconds before the blast, which filled the house with fumes and tripped the circuit breaker. Mrs Wichall heard the explosion from upstairs, calling out: "What the bloody hell!?"

The force of the detonation broke the unit's circuit board in two and the heat burned the main terminals.

Scott is contacting trading standards for advice. He said: "As you can probably guess, I am spring loaded to the pissed off position." He added that legal action can't be ruled out.

In 2003 the firm had to recall the CST-13 model due to a spate of similar self-destruction issues. Richard Dorman, Sony Ericsson's UK PR man said that an isolated incident is unlikely to precipitate a recall, but that the matter would be fully investigated.

He added that the CST-20, which is packaged with the K600i and V800 handsets amongst others, was not manufactured by the same Thai firm responsible for the CST-13.®