Royal Prank

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networkn

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Topic # 112431 8-Dec-2012 13:50

Wow this really has ended up with a fairly tragic ending.

I can't imagine anyone would in their wildest nightmare predict this outcome.

Having said that, I think something isn't right that this poor woman with 2 kids, ended her own life over something like this, especially since it appears from externally that she wasn't in particularly hot water over it.

It's incredibly unfortunate and if I may say so, selfish of this nurse to have killed herself let along at xmas time for her kids to live with for the rest of their lives.

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Reply # 728968 8-Dec-2012 13:56

Tragic indeed. And bizarre! I can certainly imaging feeling justifiably embarrassed and stupid about your actions (she was not the nurse on the phone to the DJ, but was the nurse who passed the phone call onto that nurse). The call should not have gotten past even the most basic of screening procedures.
Surely there must have been more going on in her life to end up with this outcome. I hope the radio DJs do not feel responsible for the death, I don't think the can be held accountable at all for this result, no one could reasonable think that a prank call would end up with a suicide.

Cheers,
Joseph

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Reply # 728972 8-Dec-2012 14:04

For people in the future reading this thread, the OP is talking about this tragic ending for a joke.

"A nurse at a London hospital who took a hoax call about the Duchess of Cambridge has been found dead."

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networkn

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Reply # 728973 8-Dec-2012 14:10

I think the DJ's should feel appropriately bad, perhaps it wasn't the outcome anyone could predict, but there is still some responsibility as these type of calls have the potential to go so wrong. Personally I think out of respect to the family the DJ's and producer and anyone else who signed off on the prank should be required to resign.

lurker

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Reply # 728975 8-Dec-2012 14:11

I read an interesting comment somewhere that the nurse's cultural beliefs might have left her with a loss of honour, perhaps there is some more information to come on why she did this. But people who commit suicide are usually not thinking straight so not necessarily selfish.

DS9

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Reply # 728982 8-Dec-2012 14:29

As a Brit myself I came to the conclusion that the nurse would not of expected this to be a hoax, as it would not have been done in the UK due to privacy laws in place. She would never even imagine that it was not the Queen as this hospital is used by the Royals. I feel for her family and mostly her children and I hope that in the future that even when radio host think it is a benign hoax, it can sometimes have real impacts on peoples lives.

CruciasNZ

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Reply # 729006 8-Dec-2012 15:22

I can understand why the person may have committed suicide, they broke the medical oath of confidentiality unintentionally in a very very high profile way; an action which would have haunting them in that profession wherever they went for the rest of their life. Though the Radio staff's actions led to that suicide, I still don't feel it would be right to prosecute them for that result. However willfully creating the environment which caused it would weigh in on their punishment; if there is no accountability for destroying a persons life it would set a bad precedent for the future.

It is a horrendous breach of privacy for someone to call up impersonating family and pulling information regarding a persons medical treatment. I hope that the staff involved in this "prank" are dealt with severely be it under UK or Aus law. I feel that whether you believe in the Monarchy or not is irrelevant to this situation. If this had happened to an average family it would still be morally and ethically wrong and should still result in conviction.

So my opinion in summary: they should not be directly convicted for the suicide, but they should most definitely be dealt with severely under the law for their actions.

Edit Reason: Really really bad paragraph structure from copy paste re-arranging!

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DarthKermit

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Reply # 729012 8-Dec-2012 15:27

It's a tragedy that someone has died, but why does this royal garbage make the news in the first place?

I think that One news had 15 minutes of coverage of the impending birth of the royal sprog the other night!!! I left the room and muted the TV so I wouldn't have to hear about it.

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

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Reply # 729015 8-Dec-2012 15:38

CruciasNZ: I can understand why the person may have committed suicide, they broke the medical oath of confidentiality unintentionally in a very very high profile way; an action which would have haunting them in that profession wherever they went for the rest of their life. Though the Radio staff's actions led to that suicide, I still don't feel it would be right to prosecute them for that result. However willfully creating the environment which caused it would weigh in on their punishment; if there is no accountability for destroying a persons life it would set a bad precedent for the future.

It is a horrendous breach of privacy for someone to call up impersonating family and pulling information regarding a persons medical treatment. I hope that the staff involved in this "prank" are dealt with severely be it under UK or Aus law. I feel that whether you believe in the Monarchy or not is irrelevant to this situation. If this had happened to an average family it would still be morally and ethically wrong and should still result in conviction.

So my opinion in summary: they should not be directly convicted for the suicide, but they should most definitely be dealt with severely under the law for their actions.

Edit Reason: Really really bad paragraph structure from copy paste re-arranging!

I would have thought impersonating a royal family member would have been illegal, like it is impersonating the police. I would have thought it was type of fraud I would have thought, even if it sttarted out as just a radio show joke.

I don't think the nurse did anything wrong, because they would have expected the call to have been vetted well before it got to them, and they were acting in good faith that the person they were talking to was infact a family member.

vexxxboy

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Reply # 729019 8-Dec-2012 16:09

if you listen to the call they never said they were the queen or the duke , she just asked to speak to her granddaughter Kate, it was the nurses who thought she was the queen, they were amazed that it worked and the person who killed herself was only on the line for seconds , who knows what was going on in the nurses life but the whole reaction seems to be a bit over the top

old3eyes

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Reply # 729024 8-Dec-2012 16:34

networkn: I think the DJ's should feel appropriately bad, perhaps it wasn't the outcome anyone could predict, but there is still some responsibility as these type of calls have the potential to go so wrong. Personally I think out of respect to the family the DJ's and producer and anyone else who signed off on the prank should be required to resign.

Why should they resign.. Her death most likely has more to do with the Pommy class system than anything else. Thjis was one on the most snobby hospitals in the UK. She was most likely hauled before Sir or Lord some body and told that her future in British health was finished unless she wanted to be a cleaner.

There have also been calls by some British MPs for the DJs to be charged with treason.
I'm quite sure if the nurse had challenged the caller and it had turned out to be the Queen then she would still have been in trouble.

Regards,

Old3eyes

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Reply # 729031 8-Dec-2012 16:49

DarthKermit: It's a tragedy that someone has died, but why does this royal garbage make the news in the first place?

I think that One news had 15 minutes of coverage of the impending birth of the royal sprog the other night!!! I left the room and muted the TV so I wouldn't have to hear about it.

(off topic) because this child will become head of state of NZ one day

networkn

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Reply # 729035 8-Dec-2012 17:12

old3eyes:
networkn: I think the DJ's should feel appropriately bad, perhaps it wasn't the outcome anyone could predict, but there is still some responsibility as these type of calls have the potential to go so wrong. Personally I think out of respect to the family the DJ's and producer and anyone else who signed off on the prank should be required to resign.

Why should they resign.. Her death most likely has more to do with the Pommy class system than anything else. Thjis was one on the most snobby hospitals in the UK. She was most likely hauled before Sir or Lord some body and told that her future in British health was finished unless she wanted to be a cleaner.

There have also been calls by some British MPs for the DJs to be charged with treason.
I'm quite sure if the nurse had challenged the caller and it had turned out to be the Queen then she would still have been in trouble.

Evidence to support your claims please?

networkn

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Reply # 729036 8-Dec-2012 17:12

thebender:
DarthKermit: It's a tragedy that someone has died, but why does this royal garbage make the news in the first place?

I think that One news had 15 minutes of coverage of the impending birth of the royal sprog the other night!!! I left the room and muted the TV so I wouldn't have to hear about it.

(off topic) because this child will become head of state of NZ one day

This.

mattwnz

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Reply # 729038 8-Dec-2012 17:20

vexxxboy: if you listen to the call they never said they were the queen or the duke , she just asked to speak to her granddaughter Kate, it was the nurses who thought she was the queen, they were amazed that it worked and the person who killed herself was only on the line for seconds , who knows what was going on in the nurses life but the whole reaction seems to be a bit over the top

They didn't have to, it was implied by the questions, and the fact that the call went through. I think some of the people at fault are those that should have vetted the call, as it should never through to the nurse. Especially when dealing with vip's and royals. When I first heard the call last week I felt sorry for the nurse, as they shouldn't have had to be put through that sort of rubbish. And it is all to do with radio ratings. Nz has had this sort of thing happen, remember those comedians who tried to board a plane as the flight crew.

vexxxboy

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Reply # 729042 8-Dec-2012 17:29

mattwnz:
vexxxboy: if you listen to the call they never said they were the queen or the duke , she just asked to speak to her granddaughter Kate, it was the nurses who thought she was the queen, they were amazed that it worked and the person who killed herself was only on the line for seconds , who knows what was going on in the nurses life but the whole reaction seems to be a bit over the top

They didn't have to, it was implied by the questions, and the fact that the call went through. I think some of the people at fault are those that should have vetted the call, as it should never through to the nurse. Especially when dealing with vip's and royals. When I first heard the call last week I felt sorry for the nurse, as they shouldn't have had to be put through that sort of rubbish. And it is all to do with radio ratings. Nz has had this sort of thing happen, remember those comedians who tried to board a plane as the flight crew.

i was just pointing out the fact that all the police could get them for is impersonating a grandmother, not a big crime. if the nurses asked the woman if she was the queen and she said yes then they would be in trouble.

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