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Royal prank call inquest delayed again

An inquest into the death of a British nurse who killed herself after receiving a prank call from two Australian DJs has been delayed again.

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Source: AAP


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A British inquest into the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha following a prank phone call by two Australian radio hosts has been postponed for a second time.

The inquest was due to be held on Thursday and Friday this week in central London.

But a spokesman for Westminster City Council, which handles media inquiries for Westminster Coroner's Court where the inquest was first opened, said it had been adjourned again because Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox was "seeking more information".

He added: "We hope to have a new date within a few days."

The inquest was initially scheduled for May but was delayed until this week.

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Ms Saldanha committed suicide just days after 2DayFM's Mel Greig and Michael Christian rang London's King Edward VII hospital posing as the Queen and Prince Charles.

The 46-year-old transferred the call to a duty nurse who gave out information about Prince William's pregnant wife Kate Middleton.

Radio station 2DayFM last week said it had phone records showing it attempted to gain permission to air the now infamous prank call.

A spokesman said the station has always maintained that four follow-up calls were made despite the hospital stating it had no records of the subsequent calls being made.

"It has been somewhat contentious for a while, but today 2DayFM has established through its phone logs and verification by the phone company that those calls were made to the hospital after the first call, which became known as the prank call," the 2DayFM spokesman told AAP on Tuesday.

The inquest will hear evidence in person from Ms Greig who confirmed earlier this year, through her lawyers, that she would travel to London for the hearing.

The coroner has granted anonymity to a duty nurse who may have been one of the last people to speak with Indian-born Ms Saldanha on the night of the call.

It was revealed in July that the Australian Federal Police and NSW police were evaluating a file, provided to them by London's Metropolitan Police, over the phone call made on December 4 last year.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467


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