Royal Prank Call Nurse 'Commits Suicide'

[Cassiieee]

Don't even know what to say, tbh. ;/

[GommeInc]

On the radio the other day one of the news readers said "It's a tragic story. But what makes no sense is that the DJs thought it was clever to prank call a hospital, which is never right and completely irresponsible." That sort of sums up my thoughts on it now.

[scottish]

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, died on Friday, days after she answered a prank phone call from Australian DJs pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles.

An inquest into the apparent suicide is due to be opened this week.

The DJs responsible have been taken off air and are receiving counselling.

Southern Cross Austereo, owner of 2Day FM, held an emergency board meeting on Sunday, but made no comment afterwards.

It has suspended all advertising on the station until Monday, while DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian are on indefinite leave.

The pair are said to be in a fragile condition and receiving "intense counselling", because of the hostile reaction to their prank.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Cambridge has cancelled his appearance at the British Military Tournament at Earl's Court in London on Sunday.

A St James's Palace spokesman said he would spend the day "privately with the duchess instead".

Regarding official contact, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Officers have been in contact with Australian authorities."

In certain circumstances, including when a death is sudden or unexpected, police report deaths to a coroner and can be involved in investigating the circumstances.

The deputy commissioner for New South Wales Police, Nick Kaldas, said: "They haven't actually asked us to do anything yet, but we've certainly opened up the lines of communication and obviously we're happy to assist in any way we can."

He added: "All I can say at the moment is that it's been indicated that the London Metropolitan Police may wish to speak to the people involved in the matter from 2Day FM.

"But we haven't been asked to do anything yet, and we certainly have not been asked to interview anyone, or line up any interviews for the Met."

Legal experts say that the DJs are unlikely to be prosecuted in Australia or the UK because they had not shown "guilty intent," reported BBC correspondent Phil Mercer in Sydney.

However, the radio pair may well have violated the Surveillance Devices Act in the state of New South Wales. It prohibits the broadcasting of private conversations acquired using a "listening device".

Station bosses say no laws were broken and that the pre-recorded spoof interview had been approved by lawyers before it was aired.

The company board, including chairman Max Moore-Wilton, met on Sunday, but are not expected to release a statement until Monday.

They discussed the strongly worded letter received from the chairman of King Edward VII's Hospital, where Catherine was being treated for acute morning sickness last week.

In it, Lord Glenarthur said it was "truly appalling" that the call, in which Mrs Saldanha transfers the caller to the duchess' nurse believing it to be the Queen, was approved by radio management before broadcast.

Lord Glenarthur also said in his letter: "The immediate consequence of these premeditated and ill-considered actions was the humiliation of two dedicated and caring nurses who were simply doing their job tending to their patients.

"The longer term consequence has been reported around the world and is, frankly, tragic beyond words."

He urged Mr Moore-Wilton to ensure such an incident was never repeated.

A bouquet of flowers was left outside the hospital accommodation where Mrs Saldanha was found on Friday. An attached note said: "We bless your soul."

While Mrs Saldanha's husband and two children were being comforted at their home in Bristol, her extended family in her native India were coming to terms with her death.

Her sister-in-law told AFP news agency from south-west India: "We were shocked to hear from her husband that Jacintha was no more. He did not tell us that she committed suicide."

She added: "Today we are going to the church to pray for her soul and for her children, who are going through a bad time."

Royal College of Nursing chief executive Peter Carter said the death was "a tragedy that was avoidable".

"This is the fallout from these hoaxes. We've seen them in the past. Rarely does it have the dramatic effect that it has had on this occasion."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20656911

---------- Post added 09-12-2012 at 12:42 PM ----------

Legal experts say that Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian are unlikely to be prosecuted at home or in the UK over the tragic royal hospital prank because they hadn't shown "guilty intent."

However, the radio pair may well have violated the Surveillance Devices Act in the state of New South Wales. It prohibits the broadcasting of private conversations acquired using a "listening device".

Sanctions could also be imposed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. It is investigating whether 2Day FM breached its licence conditions or industry rules. ACMA could strip the station of its right to broadcast, although that is unlikely.

Station bosses continue to stress that no laws were broken and that the pre-recorded spoof interview had been scrutinised and approved by lawyers before it was aired.

Any pain the commercial radio network will feel will probably be financial, in the short term at least. Several anxious advertisers have already abandoned 2Day FM in response to a largely hostile reaction from the Australian public.

dot

[peteyt]

been reading about the DJ's past incidents, and they are seriously ******* *****s. they should be fired for all the things they've done.

Haven't read all the posts but can't people see it was meant for a joke, a bit of humour. They didn't even expect to get through and as they have said their mock accents where crap.

The fact someone has killed themselves, importantly not the person who actually gave the private information out is really bizarre and makes me wonder like others if she had some issues previously.

[RyRy]

I feel sorry for the DJs and the families of the DJs as well as the family of the nurse who died. I'm sure when they thought the idea up they didn't expect to get through, because there must be some kind of protocol to make sure that doesn't happen. Then somebody commits suicide, I mean how could you factor in that possibility?!

I worry for how this is going to affect the Radio industry as a whole, Ofcom will come down on prank calls like a ton of bricks, over the worry that the victims of the pranks will try and top themselves. The DJs have said they want to come out to the media to say what they have to say, and I bet you they'll be 100% regretting it. Might have been a tasteless prank, but it's been blown way out of proportion.

[Stephen]

Tbh I just think it's disgusting that they thought it would be okay to prank call a hospital

Also ngl but if I was her and received a call on a phone that surely some random pranksters shouldn't have then I wouldn't be like sorry **** off you're not the queen

just imagine if it was the queen even if the accent sounded dodgy

[Inseriousity.]

sorry **** off you're not the queen

just imagine if it was the queen even if the accent sounded dodgy

lol I thought the same thing. you wouldn't want to risk it just in case!

[Grig]

It's not the DJs faults. Morally, yes it would be wrong, but in reality if the hospital puts through someone with a poor accent and has no back-up checks, that institution is to blame. Thus, it could be argued that the hospital needed to put through checks to mitigate such incidents.

The fact that they went overboard and boasted about it is a step to far. Should they lose their jobs over it? No. Should be learn lessons from this? Yes.

[GommeInc]

It's not the DJs faults. Morally, yes it would be wrong, but in reality if the hospital puts through someone with a poor accent and has no back-up checks, that institution is to blame. Thus, it could be argued that the hospital needed to put through checks to mitigate such incidents.

The fact that they went overboard and boasted about it is a step to far. Should they lose their jobs over it? No. Should be learn lessons from this? Yes.

Wasting hospital resources and having the idea that prank calling one is a clever one is rather immoral. This institution (hospital) isn't to blame, if anything the fault lies with the radio station for giving the show the go-ahead with this recorded prank call. It's poor taste, and prank calls are so incredibly outdated these days - am I right in saying Aussie comedy is a decade behind us?

What's weird is that the recording of the show wasn't funny at all. The details the nurse gave were so mundane and uninteresting, and the DJs just sounded like a bunch of giggling children that I sort of feel embarassed for them for doing such a show and even more so that a alleged suicide has resulted from it.

Anyone interested in knowing one major argument against the radio station - look up the Tort "egg shell/thin skull" principles. Basically a suicide resulting from an action may not be reasonably foreseeable, but if the victim is "fragile" then, regardless of the foreseeability of the action, the accused is at fault.

[Grig]

Wasting hospital resources and having the idea that prank calling one is a clever one is rather immoral. This institution (hospital) isn't to blame, if anything the fault lies with the radio station for giving the show the go-ahead with this recorded prank call. It's poor taste, and prank calls are so incredibly outdated these days - am I right in saying Aussie comedy is a decade behind us?

What's weird is that the recording of the show wasn't funny at all. The details the nurse gave were so mundane and uninteresting, and the DJs just sounded like a bunch of giggling children that I sort of feel embarassed for them for doing such a show and even more so that a alleged suicide has resulted from it.

Anyone interested in knowing one major argument against the radio station - look up the Tort "egg shell/thin skull" principles. Basically a suicide resulting from an action may not be reasonably foreseeable, but if the victim is "fragile" then, regardless of the foreseeability of the action, the accused is at fault.

You and I may not find it funny, but you have to entertain the common Joe, and a lot of the time such sly comedy works. It clearly fell through majorly in this instance though.