St. Mary's Hospital. Photo / Getty Images
The family of the nurse who apparently took her own life after answering the Duchess of Cambridge hoax call has been denied legal aid for her inquest, according to the Independent newspaper
Relatives of Jacintha Saldanha, who will struggle to meet the legal bills, fear the move will prevent them
finding out the circumstances surrounding her death.
They need to find thousands of pounds to have any legal representation at the inquest. Without a lawyer, they fear they will struggle to challenge hospital chiefs on the circumstances of Saldanha being put on reception duty to answer calls from the media on the night the Duchess was admitted.
Lawyer John Cooper, QC, who has been working pro bono up to this point, told the Independent: "It is not just the inquest hearing they need representation for, the family feels they also need to ask if there has been adequate disclosure. It is the Coroner's decision who to call ... the family will not be able to say 'you should have called someone else to the stand'.
"The family believe the case will require some pressing questions of the hospital which the Coroner cannot ask."
