A 56-year-old man has been named and charged by police after an arson attack caused the closure of the A&E department and the Urgent Treatment Centre at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday.
Patients and staff were evacuated from the interventional radiology room after a fire at around 3am on Tuesday, March 29. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the fire, but the treatment room was “completed gutted”.
Police have now charged John Gillion Watson, of Vicarage Court in Sleaford, with arson and recklessly endangering life.
The force said: “The charge was laid in the early hours of this morning (Wednesday, March 30) following swift and thorough work by officers in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
“Watson remains remanded into custody and is due to attend Lincoln Magistrates’ Court this morning.
“We continue to ask for anyone with information or dashcam footage to contact us.”
The Lincoln County Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre can now see patients with a reduced service after a suspected arson attack, but the adjoining A&E department remains closed.
Most outpatient appointments will continue to go ahead, with a few exceptions. Patients will be contacted directly and their appointments rearranged where this is the case.
Patients attending outpatients are asked to arrive through the main entrance, rather than the usual outpatients entrance.
*Lincolnshire Police previously reported the arrested man’s age as 57, but they issued a correction on March 30 saying he is 56.
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