Austereo Royal Pranksters Escape Prosecution - Noise11.com
Mel Greig and Michael Christian

Mel Greig and Michael Christian

Austereo Royal Pranksters Escape Prosecution

by Paul Cashmere on February 2, 2013

in News,Noise Pro

2DAY jocks Mel Greig and Michael Christian will not face charges for the royal prank that led to the death of a British nurse last December.

Mel Greig and Michael Christian

Mel Greig and Michael Christian

Jacintha Saldanha took her life after being embarrassed by a thoughtless radio stunt in which Greig and Christian played a prank at the expense of an ill and pregnant Duchess of Cambridge.

The Duchess was being treated at the King Edward VII hospital in London and placed a call from the 2DAYFM pranksters through to the ward in which she was being treated.

Malcolm McHaffie, the deputy head of special crime for the Crown Prosecution Service has concluded, “Having carefully reviewed the evidence currently available we have concluded that there is no evidence to support a charge of manslaughter and that although there is some evidence to warrant further investigation of offences under the Data Protection Act 1998, the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and the Communications Act 2003, no further investigation is required because any potential prosecution would not be in the public interest.”

The finding lets Greig, Christian and the Austereo Network off the hook legally. “However misguided,” he added, “the telephone call was intended as a harmless prank. The consequences in this case were very sad. We send our sincere condolences to Jacintha Saldanha’s family.”

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is investigating the incident separately for breaches of the commercial radio code over the stunt.

Greig and Christian have not returned to the air since the incident but are still on the Austereo pay-roll.

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