Debbie Duncan, mother of Jay Slater, has thanked the Daily Mirror for helping remove a YouTube troll who spread cruel lies about her son's death. The 57-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, said the perpetrator was silenced on YouTube but quickly resumed abuse on TikTok, inciting others to target her.
Jay Slater, 19, died after a catastrophic fall in Tenerife in 2024, sparking over 300 million social media videos from tragedy trolls. Debbie described the abuse as 'organised crime' and said it drove her to a nervous breakdown. She added: 'It's exhausting. I laugh sometimes – some of it is so ridiculous. But it hurts. They judge me on my parenting skills.'
Debbie is supporting the Mirror's Missed campaign and Missing People's call to end tragedy trolling. She has launched a petition for 'Jay's Law', which would require platforms to remove organised misinformation targeting grieving families. The petition has received a positive response from the government, and Debbie will go to Parliament in the coming months. She needs 100,000 signatures for a debate.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the Mirror: 'Families whose loved ones are missing are living through unimaginable pain, and the vile online abuse some of them face is completely unacceptable. We expect every social media company to follow UK law and stamp out this behaviour.'
Debbie said the removal of the YouTube troll gives her hope: 'It proves that it can be done. This gives me hope that media companies can, if pushed, do something.' Jay would have turned 21 on April 26, and the family is organising a charity football match in his memory.
