Sydney(PTI):The infamous royal prank call, which led to the death of an India-born nurse, was mired in another controversy today when the head of the Australian media group that owns the radio station brushed off the incident as “sh*t happens”.
During Southern Cross Media’s annual general meeting here, chairman Max Moore-Wilton reportedly used salty language to describe the tragedy in which 46-year-old Jacintha Saldanha allegedly committed suicide.
“These incidents were unfortunate, no doubt about that,” Moore-Wilton told shareholders.
“But in the immortal words of someone whose identity I cannot recall, sh*t happens,” Sydney Morning Herald reported today.
Southern Cross owns the 2Day and Triple M radio networks and a regional TV network.
Saldanha 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 — Mel Greig and Michael Christian — posing as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, that gave away information about a then pregnant Kate Middleton’s health.
The nurse 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.
Meanwhile, British Indian MP Keith Vaz, who has been supporting the family since the nurse’s death, called for an apology from Moore-Wilton after his “insult to the memory” of Saldanha.
“This is an insult to the memory of a loving mother and wife,” he said. “The radio station has clearly not learnt the lessons from this incident. Mr Moore-Wilson must apologise for his comments immediately.”
The family is still waiting on an official inquest into the death of Saldanha.
Moore-Wilton did not shy away from the comment after the shareholders meeting, the report said.
“I think it was a one sentence comment wasn’t it,” he said when asked by Fairfax Media whether he regretted what he said.
“I have no comment, I made a comment in one sentence. I am glad the media is so busy,” he said.
Mangalore-born Saldanha lived in Bristol with her husband Benedict Barboza, son Jonal, and her niece Lisha, who the family had adopted
