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Royal hoax: DJs moved to safehouses after death threats over nurse suicide

Although experts say the nurse who committed suicide after taking a prank phone call to Kate Middleton's hospital room must have been dealing with other issues that led to her death, public anger is still focused on the DJs who made the call.
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Mel Greig and Michael Christian (Twitter)
Mel Greig and Michael Christian (Twitter)
Published: Dec. 13, 2012 at 3:18 PM
By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com

Australian radio hosts Mel Greig and Michael Christian have been moved to "safehouses" after receiving death threats for making the prank phone call to Kate Middleton's hospital ward that led to a nurse committing suicide.

Although experts say Jacintha Saldanha, 46, must have been dealing with other issues that led to her death, public anger is still focused on the DJs who made the call.

Sydney police seized a letter with direct threats to Greig and Christian, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Officials would not confirm reports that the letter said there were "bullets out there with [Christian's] name on it," or that other references to a shotgun were included in the letter.

The Herald said the police are speaking with Southern Cross Austereo, the owners of 2Day FM where Greig and Christian work, and that SCA may have hired bodyguards for the protection of the staff.

An inquest early Thursday revealed that Saldanha, who was married with two children and had worked as a nurse at King Edward VII Hospital for four years, was discovered by coworkers in hospital staff housing Friday. Saldanha hanged herself with a scarf, the coroner said, and left three suicide notes to her family.

Saldanha had been the victim of a hoax phone call in which Greig and Christian rang the hospital posing as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, hoping to speak with the Duchess of Cambridge, who was recovering from severe morning sickness. Saldanha answered the call, and, believing she was speaking with the queen, transferred the call to the nurse in Kate's ward.

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