Updated
Britain reacted with horror at the presumed suicide of a nurse who was the victim of a hoax call to the hospital treating Prince William's wife Catherine.
Tributes to Jacintha Saldanha were placed outside the nurses' accommodation block where her body was discovered on Friday, triggering a wave of anger directed at the two Australian radio hosts behind the prank.
Ms Saldanha answered a phone call from Sydney's 2Day FM presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who called impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in an attempt to speak to the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge.
The nurse at Prince Edward Hospital VII in London transferred the call to a colleague who divulged details of the royal's acute morning sickness.
While media reports referred to the nurse's death as a suspected suicide, police are treating it as unexplained at this stage, although the circumstances were not thought to be suspicious.
Scotland Yard police headquarters said a post-mortem would take place next week.
All the national papers had the story on their front page and several carried angry internet outbursts directed at the radio presenters, who were pulled off the air Saturday.
A wooden cross with a British flag was left outside the hospital on Saturday, while flowers were placed outside the nearby nurses' block.
Attached to the red, white and blue flowers, a note read: "Dear Jacintha, our thoughts are with you and your family. From all your fellow nurses, we bless your soul. God bless."
Nurse Saldanha reportedly came from India and had two children.
"We as a family are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha," her family said in a statement.
Management of the central London hospital sent a letter to the radio station's owners condemning the "truly appalling" stunt.
Lord Simon Glenarthur, the hospital's chairman, wrote to the chairman of Southern Cross Austereo to protest "in the strongest possible terms" about Tuesday's call.
The royals did not complain about the incident but it sparked intense media coverage and the hospital's chief executive John Lofthouse said staff had been trying to help Saldanha "through this very difficult time".
William and Catherine have said they were "deeply saddened" by Saldanha's death and Prime Minister Julia Gillard said it was a "terrible tragedy".
Fleet street response
In its editorial, Britain's biggest-selling newspaper The Sun said the death was "heartbreaking and bewildering", and a "needless tragedy", asking how a foolish prank could end in an apparent suicide.
"No doubt she was distraught at unwittingly embarrassing the royals and her employers," it said.
"We can only guess at the inner torment of Jacintha, who after years of loyal professionalism suddenly found herself in trouble for something that was not her fault."
The Independent's editor Chris Blackhurst wrote that the normal chatter and laughter of the newsroom ebbed away as news of Ms Saldanha's death broke.
We can only guess at the inner torment of Jacintha, who after years of loyal professionalism suddenly found herself in trouble for something that was not her fault
The Sun
"It was an awful moment, one in which the at-times detached cynicism of some sections of the media - so central to Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry - was laid bare," he said, referring to the recent report into British press ethics.
"In fact, even some of our more hard-bitten reporters were desperately saddened.
"Has anyone from The Independent ever posed as someone else to obtain information to pursue a story? Yes, we have. But we would maintain we were acting in the public interest - not to provide mere comic entertainment.
"People play jokes all the time, in all walks of life. Sometimes they backfire. Now and again, the consequences are out of all proportion to the original jape. Likewise, accidents occur every day because of an unforeseen danger.
"I can't excuse them (the presenters). But a little perspective is required."
'Tragic event'
Southern Cross Austereo chief executive Rhys Holleran fronted a press conference in Sydney on Saturday and expressed "deep sorrow" at the nurse's death.
Mr Holleran said he was confident the stunt had not broken any laws, but the station later moved to suspend all advertising until at least Monday.
He said the two presenters had been pull off the air and would "not return until further notice".
Mr Holleran said the pair had been left "shattered" by the nurse's death and had been offered counselling.
"This is a tragic event that could not have been reasonably foreseen and we're deeply saddened by it," he said.
"I spoke to both presenters early this morning and it's fair to say they're completely shattered.
"These people aren't machines, they're human beings. We're all affected by this."
The Australian Communications and Media Authority confirmed it had received complaints about the hoax and chairman Chris Chapman said they will be investigated.
ABC/AFP
Topics: royal-and-imperial-matters, radio-broadcasting, radio, print-media, united-kingdom, australia, sydney-2000
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