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A nurse found hanged after an Australian radio station made a hoax call to a hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge had no history of depression or psychiatric illness, her tearful husband told an inquest.
Jacintha Saldanha, 46, who worked at the King Edward VII hospital in London, was found dead in her nursing accommodation three days after taking the call from two DJs impersonating the Queen and the Prince of Wales and inquiring after the health of the duchess, who had been admitted for hyperemesis gravidarum – an acute form of morning sickness.
Her husband, Benedict Barboza, broke down as the coroner, Fiona Wilcox, asked whether, to his knowledge, his wife had suffered any psychiatric illnesses or depression in the past, or had made any attempt to harm herself. Wiping away tears, the accountant replied: "No."
The inquest heard Saldanha was found hanged and with cuts to her wrists. She had been on duty at the hospital in the early hours of 4 December 2012 when Mel Greig, 32, and her colleague Michael Christian, from 2DayFM radio in Sydney rang the hospital. Saldanha took the call and transferred it to another nurse who gave details of the duchess's condition. The call was later broadcast by the station.
Saldanha's husband and the couple's children, son Junal, 18, and daughter Lisha, 16, sat in the well of the court accompanied by the Labour MP Keith Vaz as the inquest was told Greig, who sat at the back of the hearing dressed in black, had attended "voluntarily" and was willing to give evidence.
Greig, who no longer works for the radio station, has previously publicly expressed her distress. She revealed she had received death threats and the incident had taken a massive toll on her family. Before the inquest she tweeted: "I made a commitment to the Saldanha family that I would answer any questions they have, on or off the stand, I'm here to uphold that promise."
But Wilcox, sitting at London's high court, said any evidence Greig could give about Saldanha's demeanour during the call was not relevant. She thanked Greig for her attendance, saying: "I understand Ms Greig may feel she has been unfairly blamed for the events that followed the hoax call and for this she has my sympathy." She added the inquiry "is not to apportion blame in any way".
The inquest heard the radio station claimed it had rung the hospital to try to gain consent before the hoax call was broadcast. Evidence showed four calls were made to the hospital between 5.30 and 6am on the morning of the hoax call, the longest of which lasted 45 seconds.
Saldanha's husband described his wife as a "bubbly" woman, "a caring wife and loving mother" who "touched the hearts of everyone she met", evidenced by the number of thank you cards she received from patients.
He said the family lived in Bristol, and his wife would stay at the accommodation when working at the London hospital, but they spoke every night.
He last spoke to her on 5 December, when she appeared "normal" and he had no reason to have any concern. But he became worried when she did not answer her phone on 6 December. She was found the following day.
Vaz, who has acted as a spokesman for the family, said before the hearing that they had faced a "long road" for the inquest following repeated delays. "This inquest will finally take place after a wait of over 21 months. It has been a long road for the family, and I deeply admire the patience, humility and dignity they have shown throughout this traumatic time. It is right that they finally gain closure."
The inquest continues.
• This article was amended on 11 September 2014. Due to an editing error it originally stated that the DJs were imitating the Queen and Prince Philip. They were imitating the Queen and the Prince of Wales. This has been corrected.
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