Jacintha Attempted Suicide More than Once, Blamed RJs for her Death: Reports
Daijiworld Media Network
London, Dec 16: The British media on Sunday December 16 reported that Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse from Mangalore who allegedly committed suicide following a prank call from Australian radio presenters earlier this month, had tried to end her life more than once.
The Daily Mail quoted a friend of Jacintha's family who revealed that Jacintha may have tried to commit suicide more than once in the 72 hours between the prank and the moment her body was discovered by a colleague on December 7.
The nurse may have attempted to slash her wrists before she died as a result of hanging herself with a scarf. The paper quoted the friend as saying, "She (Jacintha) may have tried to kill herself more than once - that's why there are three (suicide) notes."
The autospy had revealed that there were injury marks on her wrists, which indicated that she might have tried to slash them before she hanged herself.
In one of the three suicide notes, she is said to have held the Australian RJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig who made the prank call responsible for her death, the Daily Mail reported.
"In one of three apparent suicide notes, Jacintha Saldanha wrote a short letter in which she expressed her deep anger at the Australian radio presenters and blamed them for her tragic death," the report stated.
The Australian radio presenters had made the call to King Edward VII hospital, where Jacintha worked as nurse, on early December 6, pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles. Jacintha who received the call fell victim to their prank and transferred the call to another nurse who revealed personal information about duchess Kate Middleton's health.
The radio presenters called back Jacintha an hour later and told her that they had played a prank and would broadcast it on their network. The revelation is believed to have left Jacintha feeling confused and agitated.
In another, one-page letter, Saldanha criticised the hospital staff, and particularly blamed two individuals.
Although the hospital said no senior member of staff blamed Saldanha for falling victim to the prank, the daily said she may have been reprimanded by colleagues by email.
In her final letter, Jacintha wanted her burial to be in Shirva, Udupi near Mangalore. As per her wish, the funeral will be held at Our Lady of Health Church, Shirva on Monday December 17.
The Daily Mail also quoted Jacintha's sister in Mangalore Mabel Saldanha as saying that Jacintha always kept in close touch with her husband and children at home in Bristol.
"She would keep busy with her work, but she only stayed there for convenience and she called them all the time," she said.
Jacintha also telephoned relatives in Mangalore regularly. "She was always asking about our health. We were all very close and loving," Mabel said.
Mabel told the Daily Mail that the family had been so terrified of breaking the news to their frail 70-year-old mother Carmine, who has a heart condition, that they decided to tell her only that Jacintha had been taken ill and had then died peacefully.
"My mother needs her very much because she was a most loving daughter," said Mabel. "It was very difficult to break the news. She couldn't take it. She was in shock and was just staring at us and then she started crying. Even today she is crying continuously."
Mabel said their younger sister, 44-year-old Gladys, a beautician, was also 'totally broken' by the news. 'Jacintha stood by her after her husband died,' she explained.
Jacintha even agreed to adopt Gladys's daughter, Lisha, and brought her up as her own to ease the burden on her sister, the Daily Mail reported.
"Gladys was financially weak so Jacintha adopted Lisha and raised her as her own," added Mabel. The 14-year-old posted her own tribute to her adoptive mother on Facebook last week. 'I miss you. I loveee you,' she wrote.