rowell

I am sure you are right Blue Cat and reports suggest that there were other circumstances, no one will ever understand why someone commits suicide but I have very close friends and relatives that have and on the outside I certainly didnt know of any issues, in fact one friend had a party the very night he committed suicide just to say goodbye to his friends although we didnt know that at the time, we left at 2am and he was dead at 8am, as for the girl in question it appears to be straw that broke the camels back and we will never know what went on in that hospital with ridicule etc.

Kix

I'm not so sure Dr. BC, you know how people from sub continent (OK Sri Lanka) react if they bring shame on their family, perhaps she just couldn't stand the stress anymore, didn't know how to take it and hung herself.

I'm not convinced there is anything more to the story.

What I find sickening is that in Aus you need the victims permission to broadcast or record a private telephone conversation, this was pre recorded, authorised by the company's lawyers too? Are they not the ones with blood on their hands? Did the second nurse even know it was a hoax when she hung up? I don't think so.

The company involved has form though, a few years ago another of their presenters forced a 14 year old live on air to reveal that she'd been raped while playing a lie detector game, presumably to get a really crappy prize.

Kix

Transcript if anyone's interested.

The poor lady is called The Receptionist.


Michael Christian: Now Mel, today is a very special day, it's the day a lot of people have been waiting for for a very, very long time.
Mel Greig: There has been speculation for months that Kate Middleton, married to Prince William, is pregnant. And it has been confirmed that she is pregnant, she is in hospital with severe morning sickness, poor little dear.
Christian: The thing is, though, that this condition that she has is often attached to women that are having twins, so maybe not one but two royal babies.
Greig: I would rather pump out a couple at a time. Makes it easier I think.
Christian: You make it sound so special and emotional. (does an impression of Greig) I'd rather pump out a couple, that'd be all right wouldn't it? (Laughter) Have someone in the corner of the room with a baseball mit, catching them. Pump it out.
(Laughter)
Christian: Here's the thing. We've been handed a phone number and we have been told that this phone number is the hospital where Kate Middleton is currently staying. We thought we'd give it a call. We don't want to cause any trouble, we don't want to stress her out because she is doing it tough. But I reckon we could maybe get her on the radio tonight.
Mel Greig: Look, I don't know. I mean everybody will be trying this.
Christian: Well, this is why I've thought of a plan. We can't just ring up and go 'Hi it's MC and Mel from the Summer30, can we chat to Kate?' Hang up. Not gonna happen. You are going to be the Queen...
Greig: This is awesome.
Christian: I'm going to be Prince Charles.
Greig (Queen voice): Hello, I'm the Queen.
Christian: Ben and Em (off microphone) so you're involved in this as well, we thought that maybe you could be the royal corgis, if you're OK with that?
[Barking noises]
Em: over intercom: Sure we'll pop on in, in a sec.
Christian: I'm going to dial this number.
Greig: This is fun, I mean (adopts Queen voice), this is fun.
Christian: So you're going to be the Queen.
Greig: Hello, I'm the Queen.
Christian (in a Prince Charles voice): Hello. Prince Charles over here, mummy.
Greig: Oh, you're Prince Charles, I like your ears.
Christian: Let's give this hospital a call and see if we can get Kate Middleton or maybe even Prince Wills on the phone tonight. So the number is going in ... oh Jeez, I hope this happens.
(PHONE RINGS)
Receptionist: Hello, good morning, King Edward VII Hospital.
Greig (Queen voice): Oh hello there, could I please speak to Kate please, my granddaughter.
Receptionist: Oh yes, just hold on ma'am.
Greig: Thank you.
Christian: Are they putting us through?
Greig: Yes.
(Laughter)
Christian: If this has worked, it's the easiest prank call we have ever made. Your accent sucked, by the way, I just want you to know.
(Laughter)
Greig: I'm not used to playing 80-year-olds. (Phone connects) Kate, my darling, are you there?
Nurse: Good morning, ma'am, this is the nurses station, how may I help you?
Greig: Hello, I'm just after my granddaughter Kate. I wanted to see how her little tummy bug is going.
Nurse: She's sleeping at the moment and has had an uneventful night, and sleep is good for her, as we speak. She's been given some fluids to re-hydrate her because she was quite dehydrated when she came in. But she's stable at the moment.
Greig: OK. Well, I'll just feed my little corgis then (barking in the background). So when is a good time to come and visit her? Because I'm the Queen so I'll need a lift down there. Charles! When can you take me to the hospital, Charles?
Christian (pretending to be Prince Charles): When will it be all right to come down and see her? Maybe in the morning or something? If that's OK?
Nurse: I would suggest that any time after nine o'clock would be suitable, because the doctor will be in in the morning and we'll just be getting her freshened up in the morning. I would think any time after nine.
Christian: Wonderful. Is Wills still there or has he gone home? I haven't spoken to him yet.
Nurse: He went home at about half past nine last night. Actually, probably about nine o' clock last night.
Christian: OK, Lovely. But they're all OK, everything's all right?
Nurse: Yes, she's quite stable at the moment. She hasn't had any retching with me since I've been on duty. And she has been sleeping on and off.
Christian: Wonderful.
Nurse: I think it's difficult sleeping in a strange bed as well.
Christian: Yes, of course, it's hardly the palace, is it!
Greig: It's nothing like the palace is it, Charles? Oh, when are you going to walk those bloody corgis?
Christian: Mumsy, I'll go and take the dogs outside.
Greig: I need to go and visit Kate in the morning. My dear, thank you so much.
Nurse: You're very welcome.
Greig: Thank you, bye.
Christian: Goodbye.
(Hangs up)
(Laughter)
Greig: She was giving us real information!
Christian (as Prince Charles): Mumsy, I think that they believed everything we said.
Greig: I am the Queen: bow for me, bow for me.
Christian: Bow for you and your terrible accent.

Meow

I fail to see why anyone in hospital is a target for a prank call, no matter who they are. Any woman is going to be sensitive about people knowing that she is pregnant at such an early stage so the whole thing was wildly inappropriate and not a joking matter.

I can only imagine that the nurse felt responsible and blamed herself. Very sad indeed and whatever her situation that call pushed her over the edge.


On a side note, why are people speculating so wildly? You'll find out if it's a boy or girl in due course and what it's called.

Blue Cat

I hadn't really given much thought to the *shame* aspect of it, very irrational behaviour though. Very sad situation that could have been so easily avoided.

Beakersful

The Leveson enquiry was about similar stuff to this. Ian Hislop has argued that there is already a set of rules and guidelines in place to follow. However, in the latest episode of HIGNFY he states that the police likely don't investigate breaches due to being in the pocket of the press who committed the offences (if I'm right about what he said) Any new regulations will stifle the free press (indeed, the latest Private Eye, published just before the report came out, has a little triangle tab in the bottom right of the front cover stating "still free press".)

As it is a corporation/business whose staff have committed this act, I think there is a need to take them to court. The cost will be large of course. But this seems to fly in the reaction from the Royal Family, who are playing it down.

Did this nurse have other problems? Not one mention of the stressful environment they work in has come yet. We could focus on personal issues, but we could raise the well documented issues with the working environment, and state that the broadcasters must surely have known them too, in combination with recent freedom of press issues.

A witch hunt it doesn't have to be, but I do think that it ought to be a clear test of the already in place press regulations in the wake of Leveson.

Blue Cat

Reports claim she was the nurse which I am sure she was it is hardly anything to lie about but why would a nurse be answering the switchboard?

NorthernLad

It was 05:30 from what I read. Nurses would cover phones in quiet periods.

Blue Cat

yes of course, didn't think of that as it was a small hospital not an NHS outfit

Ash786

Sadly, i think a tragedy like this was inevitable in our "celebrity" age. The almost perverse need for shock value and ratings has driven some media outlets to push the boundaries way too far as the Levenson enquiry debated. But there is something about the Aussies humour that really irks. Didn't they a do a similar thing about the Queen Mum dying suddenly a few years ago (some time prior to Ma'am actually passing away).
I suspect if I phoned a pilot of a fully laden Qantas A380 prior to take-off telling him that I have placed a b0mb on board, the "prank" would not be taken so lightly.
Obviously it is too early to speculate and their may have been other issues in the poor women's life but it really stinks that a man has lost his wife, two children have lost their mother and a hospital has lost an apparently well liked and dedicated nurse

scrubbedexpat141

This might be controversial and I'm saying it for debate's sake more than anything else, so don't all aim just yet.

Kids and Husband have lost / been deprived of a mother / wife.

In suicide, is it not that she has deprived her kids of a mum and husband of a wife?

Discuss.

Blue Cat

that is true but we assume she did it because of the prank call

Beakersful

If someone is threatening to jump off a bridge and a bystander feels held up and walks up and pushes the person off to their death is it still suicide? That's a major consideration here."

moneypenny20

I think the hospital/security police (or whatever they're called) have to shoulder a lot of the blame. A hospital, often used by members of the Royal Family should be more than aware of the lengths the media and some public will go to to find info or access. Why was a nurse taking the calls in the first place? Surely there should have been more security to prevent this sort of thing? They're talking about sacking the DJs, suing the radio station, all completely ott imo. The DJs must be suffering all sorts of hell. Doesn't equate to the grief the family and friends are suffering but imagine having that on your conscience forever just because of a daft prank that go the ok from the lawyers.

mikewot

These 'prank' calls are merely cyber bullying by another name. The intent is to publicly humiliate people. As for these 2 Aussie jokers if they had an ounce of braincell between them then they must have known that broadcasting sensitive information about a UK royal was going to drop someone in the sh1t. Perhaps someone being sacked. Doesn't matter that 'lawyers' checked it out, legal it might be but moral.....