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!?"

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.®

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