She's Pregnant

[AiA in Atlanta]

The hospital receptionist who put through a prank call to Kate Middleton's nurse earlier this week has been found dead, the Daily Mail reports.

The woman was found unconscious on Friday morning nearby King Edward VII Hospital in London, where she worked. A Scotland Yard spokesman said that the police were called and an ambulance arrived, but the woman was declared dead at the scene.

The Daily Mail speculates that "one source indicated that the woman appeared to have killed herself" but at the moment, a rep for Scotland Yard states, "The death is not being treated as suspicious at this stage."

This past Wednesday, the day after the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was admitted at King Edward VII Hospital to be treated for hyperemesis gravidarum, two radio hosts from 2Day FM, a Sydney-based station, called up the hospital for an on-air prank. Hosts Mel Grieg and Michael Christian pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, respectively, and were transferred by the receptionist to Kate's nurse.

The nurse proceeded to reveal medical details to the supposed royal relatives, including the best time for them to come visit the pregnant duchess.

This story is developing...

[Super Nova]

That is so sad.

We were just joking about in the office and this turns this into a no joking matter now.

I wonder if her employer went too hard on her over this. It's just a joke, an aussie prank. The poms need to learn to take a little shitstirring sometimes. Maybe they need to all come here once a week for an education.

Jokes aside, this is a terrible turn of events.

[AiA in Atlanta]

Beginning to remind me of the movie The Omen ...

[Super Nova]

More like this movie except it's an inbound first call instead.

[Rorschach]

Seriously people this never was a joke and it wasn't the least bit funny. It was just a very stupid thoughtless prank and actions have consequences and now this poor woman is dead.

THREE days after being duped by Australian radio presenters during a royal phone prank, a London nurse has been found dead after an apparent suicide.

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, a mother of two, was unable to be revived after being found unconscious at a nurses' accommodation block near London's exclusive King Edward VII Hospital at 9.35am (local time) on Friday.

http://www.news.com.au/world/hospital-r ... 6532600709" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rorschach]

READ ALL THE COMMENTS at...

http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the ... ses-death/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some of the comments...

Hazel says:

08:32am | 08/12/12

Sure no protocols but if they had not interfered where they should not have done this tragedy may not have happened. Some of the blame IS theirs, the nurse chose to take her life but this shows a lack of cultural understanding. These two had no idea the humiliation (nor cared) they put this lady through. As a result two children are without a mother. Yes they should shoulder some of the blame, to not do so would be cowardice.

Ruth Webber says:

08:33am | 08/12/12

Surely well-paid announcers should be aware that there are consequences to actions like prankcalls, especially in the UK where there is a heightened sensitivity to media activity and invasions of privacy. Whilst no-one is responsible for any individual deciding to take their own life, to think you can embark on a tasteless prank like that call and that there would be no fallout is ridiculous and unprofessional. What has happened is devastating and I hope it will lead to the end of stunts like that. Afterall not only does it have a tragic ending, but it wasn’t even funny. Rather than feeling sorry for the announcers, my sympathies are with the nurse’s loved ones and family.

Raqual says:

08:35am | 08/12/12

I’m embarassed by the actions of these 2 people…..they deserve everything they get :/

sal says:

08:35am | 08/12/12

Whether they should be held accountable in any way is a debatable point, but there is one thing that is not debatable. Some people are equipped to handle pranks and jokes at their expense, and others are not, and suffer the effects of being the butt of a joke. This poor woman was quite possibly frantic at the thought of potentially losing her career, and very reasonably upset about being a laughing stock world wide. Everyone is different, and everyone handles that sort of thing differently. Maybe it was some kind of last straw for this woman, but certainly it could, and should, have been avoided. Shame on those who made sure that this woman’s last few days were unbearable. Shame.

[Super Nova]

I'm going to take a different position.

I don't hold the DJs responsible. She couldn't take the joke and ribbing that went with it. She had two kids. No stable mother in this position would take her life. Clearly she had other issues and was not mentally or emotionally stable.

It is unfortunate it ended this way but just because she chose to do so doesn't mean the prankster is responsible. There have been man such pranks... no-one killed themselves before.

[Rorschach]

IMO SN that shows a very shallow understanding of what happened.
Most people who commented in the above article have a better grasp.

[Rorschach]

More comments...

BL says:

08:34am | 08/12/12

Tory, have a think about it. We don’t know if there are pre-existing issues but you can not deny that this was part of it.

Remember this prank went global.. Imagine being the butt of a joke amongst over 500,000,000 internet users.

The call wasn’t funny (yes in my opinion I know) and nurses work under extremely stressful circumstances. My sister is a nurse and I can tell you that she does not have time to talk on the phone at all whilst she is on the ward.

Poor taste, but at least the DJ’s have done the right thing in going off air. I don’t even hope this will be a ‘lesson’ to anyone on the risks of public humiliation because it’s just too sad.

Prayers and thoughts with her family.

Criminologist says:

08:18am | 08/12/12

Without any doubt, Greig and Christian are heavily responsible for Jacintha Saldanha’s death. There is no doubt. They put Ms Saldanha is a position where she felt personally responsible for betraying the Royal Family. To suggest otherwise is a fallacy. It’s obvious that was not their intention, they could not have ever imagined the result, but let there be no doubt, they are the main contributing factor.

Where is the depression hotline number that usually follows these types of stories?

Harry says:

09:11am | 08/12/12

Could they not forsee the shame and the guilt that the nurse would feel following the call? The media attention it would gain in the UK? I’m sorry, but for the first time in the 8 years I’ve been living in London, I am ashamed to call myself Australian - to associate myself with two individuals who clearly have no insight into how their actions—how their “jokes”—might imact upon others. We don’t need to know about what was happening in Saldanha’s world in the lead-up to her death. This ill conceived call was the catalyst. Truely shameful.

[IQS.RLOW]

Off to make some prank calls to the ALP.
Make enough of them and hopefully the whole of those fucks will off themselves