Swiss authorities probe Filipino 'nurse' over Facebook corpse pictures

Swiss prosecutors opened a criminal investigation after an alleged care-home nurse posted pictures of herself on Facebook sitting next to the corpse of an old woman.

Prosecutors in the eastern region of Saint Gallen said that the suspected offence was disturbing the peace of the dead, a crime carrying a penalty of up to three years in prison.

The tabloid Blick said it had managed to identify the woman as an immigrant from the Philippines who was married to a Swiss man. The newspaper said the woman worked as a cook, not a nurse, and also offered sado-masochist services.

Blick said the pictures were taken in January 2012 at a care home in the community of Mogelsberg which was subsequently closed for unrelated reasons.

The woman reportedly told Blick that she had simply wanted to show a friend back home in the Philippines the realities of life and death in Switzerland.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone or show a lack of respect," she was quoted as saying.