“She’s been made the scapegoat and fall guy. Melissa actually wanted the recording changed before it was broadcast,” Tony Hurran, Mel Greig’s barrister.
Although Chris Bath’s introduction stated, “A lot of people didn’t want this story told, don’t want the facts we are about to reveal to come out,” with the possible exception of confirmation by Ms Greig that no permission to broadcast was obtained from the two nurses involved, virtually nothing in last night’s interview broadcast on the 7 Network’s SN was a revelation as to the facts of the matter.
Southern Cross Austereo had acknowledged last December that Ms Greig had argued against broadcasting the prank call that preceded the suicide of British nurse Jacintha Saldanha.
In a statement published by radioinfo on December 4 last year the company stated: “Mel Greig wishes to make it clear that as an announcer she was not responsible for the decision to broadcast the hoax call. Prior to the call being broadcast she made suggestions for changes to be made to the recording of the call. 2Day FM decided that the call should be broadcast without alteration.”
What was startling, however, about the SN interview was the depth of Ms Greig’s remorse and the toll the incident had taken on her and her family.
The death threats had gotten so bad that for some time she and her partner had to remain holed up in her flat with an bodyguard stationed outside. At one stage, a caller rang her mother saying, “An eye for an eye. She died, now you have to die.” Her father was taken to hospital from the stress and Greig felt, “Oh great, now I’ve killed my dad too.”
According to Sunday Night’s producers, the interview with Ms Grieg was ready to be aired last September. Since then, the story has been hung up due to legal issues. SN didn’t make it clear as to what those issues were.
The inquest in London was postponed by the coroner, as we reported on September 11, 2013.
What Ms Greig didn’t reveal last night was exactly who at SCA overrode her request to change the recording and was ultimately responsible for allowing the call to be broadcast. That, she will tell the coroner when the inquest resumes in London.
For more complete coverage of Mel Grieg and the Royal Prank incident , click here. See 7’s report here