Forrest,

Thanks for that. You're right that the lady's death has been termed "unexplained". I'm sure you'll follow developments on that front.

Jay,

I agree....although I believe there have been a few US shows formulated on pranking.

My point was that this type of entertainment is seen as profitable. It really targets the lowest common denominator as far as social interaction is concerned. Although I believe that these shows are somewhat removed from the type of prank carried out by the two DJs, the one thing that stands out is the absolute panic, confusion and discomfort of the victims. My aversion to watching such a spectacle is absolute. That these shows are directed at children, I believe, serves to desensitise them - and if they see it regularly on TV, they're likely to believe that it is acceptable behaviour.

Pranking shows are a kind of sadism as far as I'm concerned.

It is not against the law simply to impersonate somebody else . If it were that simple , there would not be any fictionalised stories in film or on TV . There would be no satires .

Apart from simply saying that the caller is somebody else , the caller would need to use the misrepresentation of identity to achieve some unlawful purpose , such as obtaining money or credit .

It is , of course , dreadful that a nurse committed suicide following the prank call . To what extent she did so , solely because of the prank call and not , at least partly , because of a pre - existing condition , is not presently known publicly . No doubt she was subjected to considerable harassment by hospital authorities because she embarassed the hospital patient 's family .

Some of the blame for this sad outcome must be attributable to the ridiculous amount of attention that has been given in the media to a woman suffering morning sickness .

Had the hospital patient not been the wife of a member of the Windsor family , or some other class of "celebrity " , her condition would not have attracted any publicity . The level of publicity which the media gives to every little incident involving a member of the Windsor family necessarily means that they are unable to have any privacy .

This is a price which they pay in return for the privileged place which they are accorded because of their position in the British and Australian constitutions .

In both their interests , and the public interest , the monarchy in Britain should be abolished so that the Windsors can become ordinary citizens and earn a living from their own exertions . In time , they will enjoy all the privacy which they now claim to crave .

People wear masks of the Queen, Prince Charles etc so that could be
impersonating someone, but no one gets arrested.
However they did commit a crime against the Telecommunications Act.
I heard Combe saying something about ACMA looking into it.

Probably, get a slap on the wrist.

It appears that these two personalities have done damage to Anglo/Australian relations.

My cousin has just returned to London. At Heathrow a gentleman offered to help him with his luggage as he is partly infirm. But on hearing his Australian accent, the 'good samaritan' dropped his luggage and walked off.

Apparently, not everyone appreciates roguish Aussie humour.

Jaylex,
This matter has nothing to do with the royals. The call could have been about any high profile person. The callers were seeking publicity for their silly radio show.

When the episode went to air, the nurse would feel acutely that she had failed in her professional duty. Perhaps her english was insufficient to detect a false accent, and she took the call as genuine. No doubt the incident was talked about by the staff, her peers. Now she felt the whole world was critical of her.

The radio jocks, and station management, are to blame for this, irrespective of whether a person died or not. They are the ones that should be made to pay, by resigning never to be heard on radio again.

In Japan such a humiliation would require the offender to literally 'fall on their sword' however here in Australia a simple "Sorry" seems to fix everything up.
Personally I thing the pair should never be allowed to work again in any capacity.
CG