Prank Royal phone call causes nurse to commit suicide

[Audley Strange]

Meanwhile over in the prison colonies a couple of DJ's were involved in espionage for comedy against our glorious wife of that guy who's dad might get to be king one day. I'm not sure if we still can assume treason under the commonwealth but if not it raises yet another problem with Disc Jockeys they are spies and terrorism against the crown. Paedophiles AND terrorists and worse, Chris Moyles!!!!

D.J.'s seem to be a worse cult of fiends than Cannibal Scientologists who consort with demons.

[JimC]

Meanwhile over in the prison colonies a couple of DJ's were involved in espionage for comedy against our glorious wife of that guy who's dad might get to be king one day. I'm not sure if we still can assume treason under the commonwealth but if not it raises yet another problem with Disc Jockeys they are spies and terrorism against the crown. Paedophiles AND terrorists and worse, Chris Moyles!!!!

D.J.'s seem to be a worse cult of fiends than Cannibal Scientologists who consort with demons.

There was a rather sad corollary. The nurse they tricked into answering their questions committed suicide...

[Audley Strange]

I'd be surprised if that was the only reason, but yes, a tragedy. A real person has had their actual life ruined by this, something MUST be done. I suggest we ban telephones, nurses, pregnancy and comedy.

[JimC]

I'd be surprised if that was the only reason, but yes, a tragedy. A real person has had their actual life ruined by this, something MUST be done. I suggest we ban telephones, nurses, pregnancy and comedy.

Certainly it would be pointless blaming the media prank, unwise though it was, IMO...

The nurse in question must have been caught at a low point, and this was the last straw...

[Cormac]

I'd be surprised if that was the only reason, but yes, a tragedy. A real person has had their actual life ruined by this, something MUST be done. I suggest we ban telephones, nurses, pregnancy and comedy.

Certainly it would be pointless blaming the media prank, unwise though it was, IMO...

The nurse in question must have been caught at a low point, and this was the last straw...

I think it was despicable anyway.

Pranking the palace - no problem- all in good fun.

Pranking a family when a family member has been hospitalised during pregnancy, and while they are probably worried sick? Going through staff completely innocent if any connection to the pomp and circumstance of royalty? No. Not funny.

And it is not relevant whether or not it was the final straw for that poor lady - following similar logic to the eggshell skull principle in law.

[JimC]

I'd be surprised if that was the only reason, but yes, a tragedy. A real person has had their actual life ruined by this, something MUST be done. I suggest we ban telephones, nurses, pregnancy and comedy.

Certainly it would be pointless blaming the media prank, unwise though it was, IMO...

The nurse in question must have been caught at a low point, and this was the last straw...

I think it was despicable anyway.

Pranking the palace - no problem- all in good fun.

Pranking a family when a family member has been hospitalised during pregnancy, and while they are probably worried sick? Going through staff completely innocent if any connection to the pomp and circumstance of royalty? No. Not funny.

And it is not relevant whether or not it was the final straw for that poor lady - following similar logic to the eggshell skull principle in law.

I'm certainly not a fan of such pranks, particularly when they involve humiliating ordinary members of the public. However, my point was more psychological than legal; most people in the nurses position would have been quite reasonably angry, offended or hurt, but one would think that suicide is a very unlikely reaction...

The radio presenters in question are very unlikely to work in the industry again...

[Rum]

The prank was harmless enough I think. They could not possibly have foreseen the consequences. They have had - or will have had - punishment enough when it is all over. Wrecked careers for a start.

[Cormac]

The prank was harmless enough I think. They could not possibly have foreseen the consequences. They have had - or will have had - punishment enough when it is all over. Wrecked careers for a start.

Releasing information about a patient was going to have significant disciplinary consequences for any nurse, doctor, or admin who fell for the ruse. So, it is not relevant that she have had a prior weakness.

That is apart from the moral issue of making a joke of a family that has a member ill in hospital.

[Rum]

I see that Scotland Yard have arrested a man. Says so here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20663293

More big news stories later!

[mistermack]

And it is not relevant whether or not it was the final straw for that poor lady - following similar logic to the eggshell skull principle in law.

I think that the relevant principle is the "reasonable person" principle.
Could a reasonable person, the orinary person you might find on the Clapham Omnibus, think that this prank might lead to a suicide? I never heard one single person suggest that, before it happened, either on tv, or in general conversation.

A campaign of harassment, amounting to persection, might just be interpreted as contributing to a suicide.
But it rarely does.
There was a case recently, where local yobs made life misery for a mother and disabled daughter over ten years.
The mother killed them both, when she snapped, by setting her car on fire.

The inquest into the deaths heavily criticised both the force and the local council. It heard that none of the 16-strong gang was ever prosecuted.
At one point one yob told Miss Pilkington: ‘We can do anything we like to you and you can’t do anything about

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ughter.htm

[Cormac]

And it is not relevant whether or not it was the final straw for that poor lady - following similar logic to the eggshell skull principle in law.

I think that the relevant principle is the "reasonable person" principle.
Could a reasonable person, the orinary person you might find on the Clapham Omnibus, think that this prank might lead to a suicide? I never heard one single person suggest that, before it happened, either on tv, or in general conversation.

A campaign of harassment, amounting to persection, might just be interpreted as contributing to a suicide.
But it rarely does.
There was a case recently, where local yobs made life misery for a mother and disabled daughter over ten years.
The mother killed them both, when she snapped, by setting her car on fire.

The inquest into the deaths heavily criticised both the force and the local council. It heard that none of the 16-strong gang was ever prosecuted.
At one point one yob told Miss Pilkington: ‘We can do anything we like to you and you can’t do anything about

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ughter.htm

In this case, the result was a suicide. It is beyond the test of the reasonable bystander (aka the Man on the Clapham Omnibus).

The eggshell skull principle is directly applicable here because the negligent party must take the victim as they are:

This rule holds one liable for all consequences resulting from his or her tortious (usually negligent) activities leading to an injury to another person, even if the victim suffers an unusually high level of damage (e.g. due to a pre-existing vulnerability or medical condition). The term implies that if a person had a skull as delicate as that of the shell of an egg, and a tortfeasor who was unaware of the condition injured that person's head, causing the skull unexpectedly to break, the defendant would be held liable for all damages resulting from the wrongful contact, even if the tortfeasor did not intend to cause such a severe injury.

In this case, therefore, it is not relevant whether or not suicidal tendencies could have been reasonably expected. They acted negligently, severe consequences followed for the victim. Those who committed the negligent act must take responsibility.

But apart from that, the prank itself centred on deceiving a hospital employee into revealing confidential information. No matter the circumstances under which this occurred, it was definitely going to have disciplinary consequences for their victim. They seem not to have cared about this at all.

And at root, while the monarchy is fair game for satire, and in fact, I am up for all that kind of fun. But there are limits of propriety when it comes to matters of illness and members of the monarchy receiving medical treatment. After all - they are human beings too. They are entitled to medical privacy. Because this radio station didn't care about this, and felt that these boundaries are irrelevant when measured against that day's audience figures, a mother of two is dead.

[Rum]

Can we split this please mods?

[klr]

Can we split this please mods?

I'll get to it in a few minutes ...

EDIT: Splitification complete ...

[Drewish]

"Hello, this is the hospital?"

"How is the Duchess doing? I'm sorry sir, but are you family?"

"Oh, you're from the royal family! Well then I'll patch you right through!"

...

"Oh no what have I done?! I am a failure even as a receptionist! Truly my only way out is to become an hero." (self kill)

Somebody's got to say it; this wasn't really a tragedy.

[Rum]

Someone on the radio today suggested she 'died of shame'...