Duchess Of Cambridge Hoax Call Nurse Found Dead

[Humbugged]

Sad that she felt she had to do that to escape.....but really, should we stop having a bit of a larf or a giggle or a prank because someone just might not be able to cope ?

Best we stop interacting with others altogether then and build our own little bubbles and cones of silence.

It was a telephone prank...not chasing a black mercedes down the highway at great speed for a photo.

Just a prank???? Trying telling that to the family she left behind. I thought all the ting tong Aussies were here in Los, obviously not!!

Condolences to her family.........

Yes, pranks, larfs and jokes that are carried out every day by millions of people without dire consequences.....go figure

[stoli]

The problem with ALL pranks is that there must be a victim to make it work....

[7by7]

And sometimes that victim cannot take the pressure.

But Humbug and others think that is their problem, nothing to do with the pranksters.

"It was only a joke, we meant no harm" is the excuse of bullies worldwide when their vicitims can take it no longer.

Humbugged and others appear to accept that excuse; but will they if, God forbid, it ever happens to a member of their family; I doubt it.

[phuketjock]

It's entertainment on the radio. Perhaps some countries don't have this form of fun. There is no court of law that would convict the radio station for the death of that woman and the public shouldn't either!

So this thoughtless prank had nothing whatsoever to do with this poor womans death then ?????

[saroq]

Sadly the 4th estate have in my view contributed to the death of the nurse who was a victim of gross invasions of privacy concerning the pregnancy of The Duchess of Cambridge along with a childish inane hoax perpetrated by two irresponsible supposedly adults.

Certainty violent bouts of morning sickens plagued my two wives during their pregnancies however apart from neighbors and family concerns not even the local paper was interested in the matter.

Sad to see that the 4th estate has nothing better to do than publish inane diatribes concerning a prominent persons pregnancy suffering, still it sells papers i suppose..

To hell with the fact that someone died as a result of the media input, now the media moguls will,make more press mileage (profit) out of that fact now.

Bad news sells, good news doesn't it, therefore tragedy equates to profits

It's a giant leap to say that she killed herself because of a hoax call. There could have been other reasons that had contributed to her action. While very sad it's too early to say that these two presenters are directly responsible for her death. Contributors possibly but even there how where they to know that this would be the result? If that's all it took to push a person over the edge and to end it all many of us wouldn't be here now.

[whybother]

I am reasonably sure that the hospital was relatively quickly aware of this prank and was most likely investigating the situation. Whether she heard the tapes or not, she would have known about the situation and the seriousness of it. Violating patient confidentiality is serious. Even though this lady didn't intentionally do anything wrong, facing an investigation would be pretty stressful.

The only thing this lady did was put the call through. She didn't violate anyone's privacy.

Sent from my HTC phone.

[Humbugged]

And sometimes that victim cannot take the pressure.

But Humbug and others think that is their problem, nothing to do with the pranksters.

"It was only a joke, we meant no harm" is the excuse of bullies worldwide when their vicitims can take it no longer.

Humbugged and others appear to accept that excuse; but will they if, God forbid, it ever happens to a member of their family; I doubt it.

Have you ever laughed at someone elses expense ? Any of those tv shows, funniest home video, candid camera etc ?

Be honest now....however it will not surprise me if you say no.

You are way over the top for blaming these 2 people for killing someone, as if they snuck in her home and stabbed her to death themselves. Get real, most people with some common sense live in the real world.

Guess what 7x7...my mother killed herslef, there were reasons for it, many reasons, but the one you could most likely trace it back to was an individual person 10 years prior....do you think I should blame him directly of the killing of my mother also ??

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[Baerboxer]

I am reasonably sure that the hospital was relatively quickly aware of this prank and was most likely investigating the situation. Whether she heard the tapes or not, she would have known about the situation and the seriousness of it. Violating patient confidentiality is serious. Even though this lady didn't intentionally do anything wrong, facing an investigation would be pretty stressful.

The only thing this lady did was put the call through. She didn't violate anyone's privacy.

Sent from my HTC phone.

No she didn't - but the 2 idiot DJ's did.

[Baerboxer]

As said, she obviously had other issues, and these will doubtless come out at the inquest.

It's as if she had been standing on the edge of a cliff contemplating whether to jump or not.

These two DJs then appear and push her over.

Excusable?

Never.

Yes....of course because they had absolutely no way of ever suspecting it in the slightest.

Best be careful next time you complain to someone about ripping you off or a shop assistant short changing you....they might jump....then it'll be your fault. I suggest you get a zip inserted over lip.

You never know, next time I get some reprimand on a forum, I might take it the wrong way and jump....then my family and friends can blame the forum.

Everyone on here has taken the piss out of someone at some time....you should all hang your heads in shame....just in case.

The Brisbane TImes has a good leader on where to draw the line between offence and black humour. You should read it.

These people were continually playing the tape, and building up the ridicule associated with the so called prank purely for personal gain and to feed their own egos. A little different from the similies you propose. The tape was even aired afer her death was known.

Agree then, there is a level of a lark you can go beyond...but the original prank and its production cannot be blamed for her death.

If it was played after her death as a news source, so be it, if it was played as a continued joke, then that is bad taste.

The vast population is entertained by this sort of stuff until it goes wrong...then they say...oh bugger.

Look at the popular tv shows and as an example, funniest home videos...everyone laughing at everyone...what if one of those people took it the wrong way ?

What about those jokester sites where they setup fake stuff and catch people out...forget their names....but again, the same thing could happen and everyone loves them...until.

It was a sad result of course, but you cannot blame the people involved and I would imagine they would be feeling pretty low themselves about now.

People send their funny home videos into these shows and get paid if the video is used. The Candid Camera type jokester sites always get permision of their "victims" prior to broadcasting, and certainly don't twitter on about how stupid they must be. Read the copious news stories about how these two and their employers behaved. That difference might explain why the majority of Australians are outraged, let alone people outside Australia.

[Baerboxer]

And sometimes that victim cannot take the pressure.

But Humbug and others think that is their problem, nothing to do with the pranksters.

"It was only a joke, we meant no harm" is the excuse of bullies worldwide when their vicitims can take it no longer.

Humbugged and others appear to accept that excuse; but will they if, God forbid, it ever happens to a member of their family; I doubt it.

Have you ever laughed at someone elses expense ? Any of those tv shows, funniest home video, candid camera etc ?

Be honest now....however it will not surprise me if you say no.

You are way over the top for blaming these 2 people for killing someone, as if they snuck in her home and stabbed her to death themselves. Get real, most people with some common sense live in the real world.

Guess what 7x7...my mother killed herslef, there were reasons for it, many reasons, but the one you could most likely trace it back to was an individual person 10 years prior....do you think I should blame him directly of the killing of my mother also ??

Read the news reports - see how the majority of Australians polled. who live in the real world responded, You're entitled to your opinions and have every right to express them. But don't portray yourself as the benchmark for common sense. We all have our own views on that.

[Humbugged]

People send their funny home videos into these shows and get paid if the video is used. The Candid Camera type jokester sites always get permision of their "victims" prior to broadcasting, and certainly don't twitter on about how stupid they must be. Read the copious news stories about how these two and their employers behaved. That difference might explain why the majority of Australians are outraged, let alone people outside Australia.

Perhaps.....but if their actions are as you say, then they are guilty of being turds and <deleted>...but not guilty of killing someone.

[Baerboxer]

According to recent reports the poor lady was a "nervous person" by nature and friends believe this is the sort of thing that would have played on her mind. The fact that the radio station was continually playing the tape and the DJ's twittering more ridicule could well have created a nightmare scenario in her mind. There are no reports of any other problesm so far.

The reality is, based on accounts and reports so far, that without the prank call she would still be alive today.

The DJ's only concern was to exploit this to its fullest, and now they're engaged in a damage limitation exercise, along with their employers. Not the first contreversy for any of them either.

I doubt the DJ's playing the tape effected her one bit. She probably never even heard it once. Seeing as she was in the UK and the DJs are in Aus.

Do you think that it might have been the media in the UK that pushed her over the edge?

More conjecture. We don't know if she listened to the tape, once or many times; or if she read the two twitter accounts; or the amount of contact from the media - Aussie, British or other.

We do know that these people have a history of contreversy, carried out a "prank", that went wrong, and now facing a backlash are doing all they can to minimize any damage or consequences.

Conjecture?

We don't know if she listened to it all. She would have to make an effort to find it.

Sent from my HTC phone.

Yes conjecture - you're guessing unless you know something for sure. We don't know if she listened to it or not. But, she was certainly aware of the events as soon as the hospital realised they had been hoaxed. So maybe she did listen to it to hear it for herself; maybe she read all the on-line reports and the twitter sites of the DJs; maybe friends told her.

Point is we don't know. But we do know the call was made and that she tragically committed suicide as a result. It's very likely that she would be alive today had the call not been made.

Edited December 8, 2012 by Baerboxer

[Baerboxer]

People send their funny home videos into these shows and get paid if the video is used. The Candid Camera type jokester sites always get permision of their "victims" prior to broadcasting, and certainly don't twitter on about how stupid they must be. Read the copious news stories about how these two and their employers behaved. That difference might explain why the majority of Australians are outraged, let alone people outside Australia.

Perhaps.....but if their actions are as you say, then they are guilty of being turds and <deleted>...but not guilty of killing someone.

Your adjectives look about right!

In some countries teasing or goading someone to the extent they committ suicide is against the law. There is a fine line between black humour, offence and subjecting someone to public ridicule. I'm sure it never occured to these clowns that anything like this might happen. But equally, they're oblivious to the expression "duty of care". The same station was disciplined for two other very bad taste pranks. The massive backlash in Australia suggests people there are sick of these antics.

[7by7]

Have you ever laughed at someone elses expense ? Any of those tv shows, funniest home video, candid camera etc ?

Rarely, as they are mostly purile and unfunny.

But as has already been said, people who appear on those shows do so of their own free will; it is their decision.

BBC radio news is now reporting that the radio station may have broken Australian law as they did not obtain both nurses' permission before broadcasting the call.

Guess what 7x7...my mother killed herslef, there were reasons for it, many reasons, but the one you could most likely trace it back to was an individual person 10 years prior....do you think I should blame him directly of the killing of my mother also ??

Whatever he did your mother must, from what you say, have been brooding on it and living with it for 10 years; which makes it even worse than this case.

So yes; based upon what you have said, you should blame him.

You have my sympathy for your loss and the circumstances of it.

[Humbugged]

Have you ever laughed at someone elses expense ? Any of those tv shows, funniest home video, candid camera etc ?

Rarely, as they are mostly purile and unfunny.

But as has already been said, people who appear on those shows do so of their own free will; it is their decision.

BBC radio news is now reporting that the radio station may have broken Australian law as they did not obtain both nurses' permission before broadcasting the call.

Guess what 7x7...my mother killed herslef, there were reasons for it, many reasons, but the one you could most likely trace it back to was an individual person 10 years prior....do you think I should blame him directly of the killing of my mother also ??

Whatever he did your mother must, from what you say, have been brooding on it and living with it for 10 years; which makes it even worse than this case.

So yes; based upon what you have said, you should blame him.

You have my sympathy for your loss and the circumstances of it.

Thats ludicrous...based on your perception, a hell of a lot of people out there need to be called in and placed before the courts.

Rarely.... means you have, so you are guilty. You had best hope nobody you laughed at topped themselves.

Not all those shows are of their own free will....many are setup for catching the unaware. You need to all stop watching these types of shows, or laughing at anybody in the future or you risk this type of thing happening to you. Stop it now.

[geriatrickid]

I doubt the prank was the reason for the suicide. There most likely were other factors involved and this call was the straw that broke the camel's back. The djs are not responsible for the suicide.

That being said they were idiots and violated people's privacy. They also did something evil - they took advantage of people's trust and acted no differently than the scum in boiler rooms, or other con men. This prank is wrong on so many levels and the djs acted irresponsibly and with malice. More offensive are the listeners that encourage such activity. These listeners are just as guilty and shouldn't be surprised or upset when some jerk post videos of them at a public loo, or in embarrassing situations without their knowledge. It isn't any different.

The djs didn't even offer a sincere apology and that is what is most offensive; the lack of remorse or understanding that what they did was wrong.

[Baerboxer]

I doubt the prank was the reason for the suicide. There most likely were other factors involved and this call was the straw that broke the camel's back. The djs are not responsible for the suicide.

That being said they were idiots and violated people's privacy. They also did something evil - they took advantage of people's trust and acted no differently than the scum in boiler rooms, or other con men. This prank is wrong on so many levels and the djs acted irresponsibly and with malice. More offensive are the listeners that encourage such activity. These listeners are just as guilty and shouldn't be surprised or upset when some jerk post videos of them at a public loo, or in embarrassing situations without their knowledge. It isn't any different.

The djs didn't even offer a sincere apology and that is what is most offensive; the lack of remorse or understanding that what they did was wrong.

Have you read latest reports? Absolutley no indications of any other problems. Neighbours speak highly of the deceased and her family, emplyers and colleagues do. Have not seen any comment to suggest anything other than this call caused distress.

What are your doubts based on?

Edited December 8, 2012 by Baerboxer

[Baerboxer]

Have you ever laughed at someone elses expense ? Any of those tv shows, funniest home video, candid camera etc ?

Rarely, as they are mostly purile and unfunny.

But as has already been said, people who appear on those shows do so of their own free will; it is their decision.

BBC radio news is now reporting that the radio station may have broken Australian law as they did not obtain both nurses' permission before broadcasting the call.

Guess what 7x7...my mother killed herslef, there were reasons for it, many reasons, but the one you could most likely trace it back to was an individual person 10 years prior....do you think I should blame him directly of the killing of my mother also ??

Whatever he did your mother must, from what you say, have been brooding on it and living with it for 10 years; which makes it even worse than this case.

So yes; based upon what you have said, you should blame him.

You have my sympathy for your loss and the circumstances of it.

Thats ludicrous...based on your perception, a hell of a lot of people out there need to be called in and placed before the courts.

Rarely.... means you have, so you are guilty. You had best hope nobody you laughed at topped themselves.

Not all those shows are of their own free will....many are setup for catching the unaware. You need to all stop watching these types of shows, or laughing at anybody in the future or you risk this type of thing happening to you. Stop it now.

"Not all those shows are of their own free will....many are setup for catching the unaware" - Once again. They may be unaware when they are filmed or recorded but their permission is sought and obtained prior to any broadcast. This was not the case in this instance. See the difference?

That's why the radio station is conducting a damage limitation exercise including gagging the DJs from comment. Lawyers will now be guiding their every comment and action.

Edited December 8, 2012 by Baerboxer

[manarak]

And sometimes that victim cannot take the pressure.

But Humbug and others think that is their problem, nothing to do with the pranksters.

"It was only a joke, we meant no harm" is the excuse of bullies worldwide when their vicitims can take it no longer.

Humbugged and others appear to accept that excuse; but will they if, God forbid, it ever happens to a member of their family; I doubt it.

No.

Bullies's goal is to make a personally known victim suffer, pranksters just want to make fun of a situation for general entertainment.

In the first case "making fun" is an excuse indeed, while in the second case it is just the truth.

And yes, if a victim reacts very unexpectedly in an extreme way, it is the victim's problem.

A bit like religious nuts who can't see a woman's naked tit without freaking out and throwing incendiary grenades or going to Denmark to murder cartoonists.

If your logic was followed, any communication would stop.

Edited December 8, 2012 by manarak

[manarak]

Have you ever laughed at someone elses expense ? Any of those tv shows, funniest home video, candid camera etc ?

Rarely, as they are mostly purile and unfunny.

awww... QED.

[meatboy]

I doubt the prank was the reason for the suicide. There most likely were other factors involved and this call was the straw that broke the camel's back. The djs are not responsible for the suicide.

That being said they were idiots and violated people's privacy. They also did something evil - they took advantage of people's trust and acted no differently than the scum in boiler rooms, or other con men. This prank is wrong on so many levels and the djs acted irresponsibly and with malice. More offensive are the listeners that encourage such activity. These listeners are just as guilty and shouldn't be surprised or upset when some jerk post videos of them at a public loo, or in embarrassing situations without their knowledge. It isn't any different.

The djs didn't even offer a sincere apology and that is what is most offensive; the lack of remorse or understanding that what they did was wrong.

Have you read latest reports? Absolutley no indications of any other problems. Neighbours speak highly of the deceased and her family, emplyers and colleagues do. Have not seen any comment to suggest anything other than this call caused distress.

What are your doubts based on?

what this poor lady must have gone through we cannot imagine,she must have been highly trained with an impecable record to get a job at this hospital as the name of the hospice speaks for itself[king edward V11] its obvious she couldnt live with the stigma knowing what these morons had tricked her into involving one of the most important familys in the world.i wonder what would happen if this was done to the royals of thailand.r.i.p.

[chiang mai]

I agree with the above post, it seems as though some people here are unable to understand (and possibly relate to) the deep degree of work ethic this woman had, of the many reports about her private life from family and friends now emerging, not one mentions any problems in her life or anything other than a deeply caring person.

[Mosha]

I believe some are considering her "over reaction" from a Western point of view. She was Asian. How would a Thai have reacted in her place. She would have seen it as a serious ;loss of face. I wonder how she may have reacted?

Edited December 9, 2012 by Mosha

[Mosha]

The station have offered them counselling. Unbelievable.

Lord Glen Arthur's letter.

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/lord-glenarthurs-letter-to-southern-cross-austereo-20121209-2b33o.html

[BookMan]

I doubt the prank was the reason for the suicide. There most likely were other factors involved and this call was the straw that broke the camel's back. The djs are not responsible for the suicide.

That being said they were idiots and violated people's privacy. They also did something evil - they took advantage of people's trust and acted no differently than the scum in boiler rooms, or other con men. This prank is wrong on so many levels and the djs acted irresponsibly and with malice. More offensive are the listeners that encourage such activity. These listeners are just as guilty and shouldn't be surprised or upset when some jerk post videos of them at a public loo, or in embarrassing situations without their knowledge. It isn't any different.

The djs didn't even offer a sincere apology and that is what is most offensive; the lack of remorse or understanding that what they did was wrong.

I agree with parts of your post GK, but not however the part about the DJs acting with malice. There was no intention on their part to inflict harm or injury, nor was there evil intent. Where is any evidence in the call that they meant to hurt someone?

The comparison with boiler room scam men also seems a tad spurious. They were not making the call to extract money under false pretences from the Nurse.

I haven't seen their apology so I can't comment on that but had the DJs even one iota of what would happen they would not have made the call.

Perhaps it sends a warning to hundreds of radio stations entertainers around the world who do similar phone pranks every week. Maybe this results in more self control or demands from listeners that these types of calls stop.

What cannot be denied is that the situation is a tragedy.

[BookMan]

The station have offered them counselling. Unbelievable.

Lord Glen Arthur's letter.

http://www.theage.co...1209-2b33o.html

What would you have the radio station do Mosha? Perhaps string them up to a tree for the public to throw rotten fruit at?

This would seem to be a responsible thing for the station to do in my view.

[edgarfriendly]

Bullies & sociopaths find this sort of behaviour 'humourous'

ignorants & retards 'think' it doesn't matter how much pressure is applied in the name of entertainment

the rest of us are left disgusted and ashamed to be of the same species.

[Mosha]

The station have offered them counselling. Unbelievable.

Lord Glen Arthur's letter.

http://www.theage.co...1209-2b33o.html

What would you have the radio station do Mosha? Perhaps string them up to a tree for the public to throw rotten fruit at?

This would seem to be a responsible thing for the station to do in my view.

Sack their sorry <deleted>.

[chiang mai]

I agree with the right honorable member from Chumpom.