Prank call outrage continues in Britain


Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcast: 11/12/2012

Reporter: Chris Uhlmann

Despite a tearful apology from the two DJs behind a prank call linked to the death of a London nurse, anger is still dominating news coverage in Britain.


CHRIS UHLMANN, PRESENTER: The outcry over the prank call linked to the death of a London nurse shows no sign of abating. Last night's tearful apology by the two Australian DJs has done nothing to calm the anger in Britain where the story is still dominating news coverage. To get a sense of it, we're joined by our Europe correspondent Mary Gearin. Mary, welcome.


CHRIS UHLMANN: And what's been the reaction in England to that appearance on television by the two DJs?

MARY GEARIN: It has been pretty much nonstop coverage, as you said, Chris. There have been large slabs of the interviews run here. In most quarters the emotion has been seen as genuine, and the stories of the presenters are touching ones. Then you've got headlines this from Richard Littlejohn - an opinion piece in the Daily Mail: "Do spare us the self-pity, Sheila" and the general point being obvious that from his point of view and some people that these presenters should have known what they were doing; that they can't simply hide behind the fact, as they said, that their stunt was approved by other people. Their interviews have been pored over, essentially, for what exactly happened, and many questions still remain as far as the British media is concerned as to where the buck actually stopped. What the presenters said was they did their prank, it went away to other departments, and there were many people calling out saying, "That's all fine and good and these presenters are showing genuine emotion but who's actually going to take responsibility?"

CHRIS UHLMANN: Well, Jacintha Saldanah's family has made an appearance in London, can you tell us about that?

MARY GEARIN: Yes, what happened was they came to the gates of Westminster last night. They met up with a Labour MP Keith Vaz, whom they called upon after the tragedy, and the fact that they showed up before the cameras - which they knew would be there... they didn't speak but that would suggest that they wanted to make a point, as it were, and while they didn't speak even when they emerged from that meeting, Keith Vaz spoke on their behalf saying that they were terribly distressed, that they were thinking of Jacintha every day, and they were very grateful for the condolences from around the world. But he also called for an independent inquiry because he's quite worried that the family isn't going to receive all the facts of exactly what happened in the lead-up, in those few days, between the prank call and the apparent suicide.

CHRIS UHLMANN: Now I understand that some people are questioning the role of hospital management, saying that not enough support was given to the two nurses?

MARY GEARIN: Absolutely. And Keith Vaz is saying that as well. He said that when he had visited them two days afterwards that no hospital representative had actually been up to Bristol to see the family, which he thought was most concerning. And also, as I say, he's worried that the true facts of the situation haven't emerged.

There have been unconfirmed newspaper reports that Ms Saldanah's husband was furious at the hospital treatment, but that hasn't been confirmed because they haven't spoken personally. But these are the things coming out, that they don't want the rumours of the hospital's treatment to her to emerge via the press; that they want to kept in touch with that via an independent inquiry. The hospital itself has said that it did not have - and it's had to repeat this in the wake of all this speculation - that it did not actually instigate any disciplinary action against her. So with an internal hospital inquiry and a police inquiry as well, there will be many more questions to be answered.

CHRIS UHLMANN: Mary Gearin, thank you.