Prank DJs In Kate Middleton Hoax In Hiding, May Get Police Probe
The two Australian DJs who made the prank call to the British hospital where pregnant Kate Middleton stayed to treat severe morning sickness have gone into hiding and will likely be probed by police. The nurse who transferrred the phone call from the two DJs was found dead two days after the prank.
New questions have been raised whether laws were broken by radio DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian of Sydney radio station 2Day FM.
British police have also contacted Australian police about a possible probe into the prank call, according to Associated Press.
Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company that owns 2Day FM radio station, has said no laws were broken. Prior to the call being broadcast on the radio on Wednesday, Dec. 5, it was reviewed by the station's legal department.
The hoax may have led to the death of a nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, who filled in for a receptionist early Wednesday morning and transferred the two DJs' call to the Duchess' private nurse.
Two days later, she was found dead after police were called to an address near the hospital to "reports of a woman found unconscious."
The cause for Saldanha's death is still undetermined and an investigation is underway but several reports indicate it may have been suicide.
Following news of the nurse's death, Southern Cross Austereo CEO, Rhys Holleran, and the hospital where she worked, King Edward VII, have released statements regarding the tragic news.
"I think the more important question here is that we're very confident that we haven't done anything illegal," said Holleran. "Our main concern at this point in time is what has happened is incredibly tragic and we're deeply saddened and we're incredibly affected by that."
Lord Glenarthur, the chairman of King Edward VII's Hospital, reportedly sent a letter denouncing 2DAY FM to Max Moore-Wilton, the chairman of Southern Cross Austereo.
Moore-Wilton responded to Lord Glenarthur's letter on Sunday, Dec. 9.
"I can assure you we are taking immediate action and reviewing the broadcast and processes involved," Moore-Wilton said in his letter. "As we have said in our own statements on the matter, the outcome was unforeseeable and very regrettable."
The radio station also apologized for the prank call in a separate statement.
"2Day FM sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the inquiry to Kate's hospital. The radio segment was done with lighthearted intentions," the station stated.
Lord Glenarthur said the prank humiliated "two dedicated and caring nurses," and the consequences were "tragic beyond words."
