Patient threatened Cardiff surgery with bomb hoax

A patient threatened to blow up a Cardiff doctors surgery with a bomb - unless he was given an earlier appointment.

James Arnott, 29, stormed into the surgery demanding to immediately see a doctor.

But Cardiff Crown Court heard Arnott shouted: "Protect your families, I've got a bomb".

Prosecutor Kathryn Lane said up to 70 people inside the surgery had to be evacuated after Arnott made the bomb hoax.

Miss Lane said one mother fled with her young baby and hid in her car after Arnott's threat at the Whitchurch Village Practice in Cardiff.

Arnott was later arrested but told police he couldn't remember what had happened.

Arnott, of Pontypridd, South Wales, admitted false communication at Cardiff Crown Court.

He was handed an 18 week suspended sentence and given a curfew between 7pm-7am.

Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Eleri Rees said: "Here was a busy surgery with lots of people who were there presumably because they were already feeling unwell.

"Your behaviour was completely out of order and completely unacceptable because you could not wait for your appointment and to threaten you had a bomb.

"Nowadays people do take the threat of a bomb seriously."