14 DAY TRIAL // A couple of days ago, two Australian radio hosts got an idea for what seemed the perfect prank: they called King Edward VII Hospital where Kate Middleton was being treated for morning sickness, duped a nurse and got confidential information about her condition. The nurse has just been found dead.
Whether there is an exact connection between the prank that made the rounds across the world and the nurse’s death is yet to be determined.
However, the coincidence would be far too big, the Daily Mail also points out.
Jacintha Saldanha had worked at King Edward VII Hospital for 4 years when she fell for the prank, thought she was actually speaking on the phone with the Queen and Prince Charles, and gave away confidential patient information.
Her body was found at a location near the hospital she worked at, and first reports indicate suicide as cause of death.
Police have informed her husband and two children of the tragedy, the Mail reports, hinting they had no idea she was planning of taking her own life, if that’s what happened.
The Hospital has released a statement expressing regret and, at the same time, confirming that she’d been duped by the two radio hosts in the prank of a couple of days ago.
However, it notes that she had not been fired as a result of it.
“Jacintha has worked at the King Edward VII Hospital for more than four years. She was an excellent nurse and well respected and popular with all of her colleagues,” the statement reads.
“It is with very deep sadness that we confirm the tragic death of a member of our nursing staff, Jacintha Saldanha. We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital. The hospital had been supporting her throughout this difficult time,” the same statement adds.
Police are now investigating to determine an exact cause of death, but have already said they don’t suspect any foul play.