U.K.: No charges for Australian DJs over royal hoax call
British prosecutors said Friday they will not press charges against two Australian DJs over the royal hoax call that preceded a nurse's suicide.
Mel Greig and Michael Christian impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and her son, Prince Charles, as they phoned London's King Edward VII hospital in December to ask about the condition of the Duchess of Cambridge, formerly Kate Middleton, who had been hospitalized for treatment of acute morning sickness stemming from her pregnancy.
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Nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who put the call through to a colleague who in turn described the details of Kate's condition, was found hanged in her room three days after the prank was broadcast across the world.
Prosecutors on Friday said there was no evidence to support a charge of manslaughter, and despite "some evidence" to warrant further investigation of offenses under Britain's Data Protection Act and Malicious Communications Act, any potential prosecution would not be in the public interest.
"It is not possible to extradite individuals from Australia in respect of the potential offences in question. However misguided, the telephone call was intended as a harmless prank," said Malcolm McHaffie, deputy head of special crime at the Crown Prosecution Service, according to the BBC. "The consequences in this case were very sad. We send our sincere condolences to Jacintha Saldanha's family."
The DJs apologized after Saldanha's death in emotional interviews on Australian television, saying they never expected their call would be put through.
The radio show behind the call, the "Hot 30" program, was taken off air following Saldanha's death and later canceled.