Man dressed as Grim Reaper fined £200 after hospital roof stunt in Wales

Fake Grim Reaper at Welsh hospital gets off with a £200 fine

Last June, 26-year-old Leon Gillespie climbed onto the roof of Ysbyty Glan Clwyd hospital in north Wales dressed as the Grim Reaper, carrying what appeared to be a scythe and staring down at patients and staff. The scene, straight out of a B-movie pavor flick, spread panic among the sick and the medical staff. British police arrested him without ceremony, and the courts have now punished him with a £200 fine, around 233 euros, for causing an unjustified disturbance and refusing to leave the premises even when officers arrived.

The story, reported by The Sun, sparked a flood of comments where dark humour ran riot. Some suggested crowdfunding to hire the "Reaper" and have him stare down ministers, in case that gets something done. Others recalled that in Belgium, near hospitals and care homes, it is common to see shop windows displaying standing coffins with price tags, as if death were just another item on display. Comparisons with the Wild West, with gunmen (or machete-wielding mates) planted at the door, were also plentiful.

In any case, the only real casualty of the stunt was Gillespie's wallet. Two hundred pounds for sowing chaos at a hospital. You'd think the scythe was nothing more than a prop, but the patients who found him staring at them from the roof will probably never forget the scene. The courts have put a price on the scare: around 233 euros. And with that, moving on.