Jacintha Saldanha’s Death May Result In Criminal Charges For DJs
Jacintha Saldanha’s suicide earlier this month became a strange and very sad postscript to the media frenzy over Kate Middleton’s newly-disclosed pregnancy, and in its aftermath, two Australian DJs found themselves at the center of worldwide outrage over the nurse’s apparently self-inflicted death.
Jacintha Saldanha was caught up in the reporting of Middleton’s condition when the DJs, 2DayFM’s Mel Greig and Michael Christian, called the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge had been admitted, impersonating members of the Royal Family to obtain information about the young royal. Saldanha’s role in the hoax appears to have troubled her greatly, and the findings of an inquest into her death revealed the saddened nurse left three suicide notes before she hanged herself in staff quarters.
Death threats and angry replies were levied at the two DJs from 2DayFM, and now Greig and Christian may face charges in Saldanha’s death. The Huffington Post reports:
“In a statement, London’s Metropolitan Police said that they had submitted a file to Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service “to consider whether any potential offenses may have been committed by making the hoax call… It’s not clear what charges, if any, prosecutors were considering. The force said they would be making no further comment.”
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said:
“Following the death of Jacintha Saldanha, officers have liaised with the Crown Prosecution Service as to whether any criminal offences had been committed in relation to the hoax call made to King Edward VII Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday December 4.”
Britain’s Telegraph adds:
“It is unclear whether the DJs could face extradition from Australia to Britain if the CPS decides there is a reasonable chance of securing a conviction in the courts.”
According to British media, Jacintha Saldanha indicated in one of the three notes she wrote before her death that she blamed the two Australian DJs for her decision to take her own life.
