DJ suspended after mocking woman with Down's syndrome who accidentally called radio station

Kellie Baker, 30, accidentally dialled the number for an Ohio radio station

Her speech was mocked on the air by the presenter of The Mo Show

DJ Mo has been suspended from his post at radio Q92 near Canton



A radio DJ who ridiculed a woman with Down's syndrome on the air after she called his show by mistake has been suspended from the station where he works.

Kellie Baker, 30, had been trying to call a friend but was left in tears when DJ Mo, presenter of The Mo Show, said to her 'obviously you have some sort of speech impediment', before asking 'are you from this country?'



DJ Mo issued an apology and has been suspended from his post at Canton station Q92 following the exchange, which Miss Baker's outraged family has described as 'blatant bullying'.

'Wonderful person': Kellie Baker, 30, was left in floods of tears when she was mocked by a DJ after calling his radio show by mistake

Miss Baker, described by her sister as a 'wonderful' person who views the world 'without cynicism and with complete and utter hope', had been trying to call a friend but dialled the number for the radio station by accident.

When she asked to speak to her friend, Kelly Ann Burkhart, DJ Mo said: '... I don't want to come across - obviously you have some sort of speech impediment.'

Miss Baker said: 'Uh... no, this is my voice', before trying to cut off the conversation, saying: 'Alright, never mind... I'll see ya later, okay, bye.'

But the presenter urged her to stay on the line, saying: ''K - say it real slowly.'

Trying again to end the call, Miss Baker said: 'Never mind, never mind,' to which the mocking DJ replied: 'No, say it real slowly. I want to try to figure this out. It's a little game.'

Miss Baker apologised for dialling the wrong number when the presenter asked her if she realised that she had called a radio station. When he asked her if she knew who he was, Miss Baker said she didn't, and the laughing DJ replied: 'Okay, so I can laugh at you and you won't know who to call and say you're offended. Very good.'

Laughing: DJ Mo, from Radio Q92 in Ohio, asked Miss Baker whether she was 'from this country' in the exchange broadcast to listeners

Kara Ball, Miss Baker's sister, said: 'Sometimes she cuts a word or two. But still, she speaks English.'



Ms Ball said in a blog post that, because her sister assumes that everybody is trustworthy and kind, the DJ's comments have hurt her especially deeply.



According to a report in the New York Daily News , when the call ended, Miss Baker called her mother in tears and asked: 'Why would he make fun of me?'



The suspended DJ, who has said he takes 'full responsibility' for his actions, issued an apology on air and has offered to meet Miss Baker to apologise in person.

'At the time of the call, I honestly believed it was a prank. However, that doesn't excuse what happened or what I did,' he said in an audio file released by the radio station.

Miss Baker's furious family claim that the conversation would have been checked before it was broadcast and insist it should never have gone on the air.

The radio station has declined to comment on whether the exchange between DJ Mo and Miss Baker was pre-recorded.

Miss Baker's sister Kara Ball said: 'He knows that she dialled the wrong number. This never needed to be aired, period.

The family has said it intends to use the incident as an opportunity to raise awareness of how people with disabilities are treated.

