Hoaxer says sorry to suicide nurse’s family

A radio DJ who made a hoax call to a hospital caring for the Duchess of Cambridge broke down in tears as she apologised to the family of a nurse who committed suicide after the hoax was broadcast.

Australian Melanie Greig posed as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II during the call in which private medical information about the pregnant Kate was disclosed in December 2012.

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, who took the call, took her life three days later.

Addressing the inquest after Saldanha’s death was ruled a suicide, Greig told her family: “I really just wanted to say I am truly sorry, I’ve wanted to say that for so long.

“This tragedy will always stay with me and serve as a constant reminder.”

Indian-born Saldanha was found dead in nursing accommodation after Greig and fellow DJ Michael Christian broadcast the call on Sydney’s 2Day Fm.

She passed them on to a nurse who revealed details of Kate’s condition at the King Edward VII’s Hospital in London.

Making the suicide ruling, coroner Fiona Wilcox said: “There is evidence that in the days before her death the hoax call and her difficulties with a colleague had been pressing on her mind.”

She did not criticise the DJs or the radio station but, addressing four calls made to the hospital by production staff to gain Saldanha’s consent before the recording aired, added: “If she did take these calls I find it inconceivable she would have consented, as a participant in the call, to its broadcast.”

Speaking outside the High Court after the inquest, Leicester MP Keith Vaz, on behalf of Saldanha’s family, said: “Over the last two days, the family and the world have heard about her nobility, her dedication to her patients, her love of her job and her fantastic professionalism.

“It is an irony that four calls made in 115 seconds, which were the cause of so much mirth in Australia could have deprived Benedict [Barboza, her widower] of his wife and Lisha and Junal of their beloved mother.

“These despicable and cruel actions, this hoax, has changed their lives forever.”

He added that the family was taking advice over possible future legal action.

In a statement read outside court Saldanha’s son, Junal, said: “I, my dad, and my sister take this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone in Britain and around the world who has supported us through this difficult time in our lives.

“My dad my sister, and myself miss our beloved mum every day and will do so every day for the rest of our lives.”