The family of Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who committed suicide after 2Day FM’s royal prank call, hope that the recent ruling by the High Court of Australia will result in harsh penalties for the station.

Jacinta Saldanha transferred a call from 2Day presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christan, who posed as the Queen and Prince Phillip to a ward nurse, who gave the duo an update on the condition of Kate Middleton’s morning sickness.

Keith Vaz, a British Labour MP and spokesperson for the Saldanha family told AAP:
 

“Now the prank call has been correctly deemed illegal I hope the sentencing will take into consideration the severe harm that was caused by the broadcast and be sufficiently severe”

“This will serve as a warning to other radio stations that prank or hoax calls can be the cause of catastrophic consequences, distress, and certainly should never be broadcast without the consent of those targeted”

Vaz’s view of the High Court judgement is not entirely correct. The High Court ruling gave the ACMA the power to judge a criminal issue as part of its regulatory powers, it did not actually “deem” the call to be “illegal.”