Kate Middleton Hospital Nurse Dies In Suspected Suicide After Being Duped By Aussie Radio Show

Business Insider ^ | 12/07/2012 | Adam Taylor

[SeekAndFind]

In a sad and shocking twist, the nurse who works at the hospital where Kate Middleton was treated and who was reportedly duped by an Australian radio show has been found dead, and is suspected of killing herself.

The Daily Mail reports that the nurse was found unconscious at an address near the hospital, King Edward VII Hospital in Paddington, London. She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. One source told the Mail that she appeared to have killed herself.

In a statement from the hospital, the nurse has been named as Jacintha Saldanha. She was described as the "victim of a hoax call". The hospital also says its staff "had been supporting her throughout this difficult time". The nurse was tricked by two Australian radio DJs, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who called up the hospital pretending to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

Despite their laughable accents, the pair were transferred to Kate Middleton's room, where the mother-to-be was hospitalized with morning sickness. A woman named Vanessa gave the pair information on Middleton, who was apparently sleeping.

The BBC says that Saldanha was the nurse who answered the phone. She had not been reprimanded by the hospital for the incident.

The Royal College of Nursing, an organization that represents nurses in the UK, has issued a statement, with chief executive Dr Peter Carter saying it is "deeply saddening that a simple human error due to a cruel hoax could lead to the death of a dedicated and caring member of the nursing profession". Kate Middleton and Prince William have also said they are "deeply saddened" by the news.

[xsmommy]

they were talking about this on the radio this AM. she was Indian, and supposedly very religious. i do believe it was a cultural reaction to a supposed “shaming.” doesn’t make sense to us, not of that culture.

[Tublecane]

There happens to be, realistically or not, a well-established connection between rear ending someone and resulting physical trauma, as well as emotional strife from the trauma. Is there such a connection between rather harmless pranks and suicides? Especially when the pranks effectiveness is based on your incompetence at your job.

Maybe so, but not that obviously. Certainly not anything you do which could be argued to hypothetically have contributed to a suicide makes you legally liable, as you imply. For instance, if you tap that pregnant lady on the shoulder instead rear end her most juries will not hold you equally responsible for her miscarriage. Just like how one prank call which is only embarrassing because the supposed victim did ger job badly is not the same as, for instance, serial harassment.

Although, juries are stupid, so who knows?

[Burkean]

What are the laws regarding medical privacy in the UK and/or Australia? It is likely they have some kind of law about people posing as relatives in order to get confidential medical information.