London: An inquest into the death of India-born nurse Jacintha Saldanha following a prank phone call from two Australian radio jockeys has been postponed for a second time as the coroner has sought more information.
The 46-year-old was found hanged in the nurse’s quarters of the King Edward VII hospital here, days after being duped into transferring a hoax call from two Australian radio presenters posing as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, that gave away information about a then pregnant Kate Middleton’s health.
The two-day inquest into her suspected suicide had been scheduled for Thursday and Friday at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London.
The court was also due to hear evidence in person from Mel Greig of 2Day FM, who made the prank call with colleague Michael Christian. However, coroner Fiona Wilcox’s office said she was “seeking more information”.
“We hope to have a new date within a few days,” a spokesman for Westminster council, which handles media inquiries for Westminster coroner’s court, said.
The hearing was initially to take place in May this year. British Indian MP Keith Vaz, who has been supporting the family since the nurse’s death, said:
“They were surprised to hear that the inquest has been adjourned just a few days before it was due to begin”. “They are rather disappointed at the decision as they have been waiting for nine months and this is the second time the inquest has been adjourned.
For them, the inquest represents closure. We very much hope we will have a new date set soon,” he said. Saldanha had answered the call at the hospital on December 4 last year and transferred it to the ward where Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was being treated for acute morning sickness. Mangalore-born Saldanha lived in Bristol with her husband Benedict Barboza, son Jonal, and her niece Lisha, who the family had adopted. (PTI)
