2DayFM wins appeal to suppress an ACMA report into ‘Royal Prank call’

2DayFM has won its appeal to suppress a report prepared by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)  over the ‘Royal Prank call’ incident, which is understood to have found the broadcaster performed a criminal act by broadcasting it.

This afternoon a full bench of the Federal Court sided with the Southern Cross Austereo-owned network which had argued the ACMA had overstepped its bounds by acting as “accuser and fact finder” in creating the report.

The case relates to the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who took her own life in December 2012 after she had put through a prank call by hosts Mel Greig and Michael ‘MC’ Christian, who were impersonating Prince Charles and The Queen, to the ward where the then pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for acute morning sickness.

It is understood both the preliminary report and now the final report, which the court heard has been finalised since the November ruling, finds that 2DayFM had breached the NSW Surveillance Devices Act when it broadcast the prank call in December of 2012.