Ellen Roome reveals son Jools Sweeney was sent link 'from an organised crime gang' on Instagram shortly before his death
On Thursday, the High Court ordered a fresh inquest into Jools' death in 2022 to allow previously omitted social media evidence to be examined
The mother of a teenager who died after taking part in an online challenge gone wrong has revealed he recieved a "link rom an organised crime gang" on Instagram shortly before his death.
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Ellen Roome, from Cheltenham, found her son, Jools Sweeney, 14, unconscious in his bedroom in April 2022 after taking part in an online challenge.
On Thursday, the High Court of England and Wales ordered a fresh inquest into his death to allow previously omitted social media evidence to be examined.
Speaking to Tom Swarbrick, Ms Roome revealed her son was sent an Instagram link from an "organised crime group" just before he died.
"I haven't made it public until now but Jules was sent a link through Instagram which the police have confirmed was from a West African organised crime gang."
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She added that investigators "didn't know" if Jools had clicked on the link.
"If we go to Meta, they should be able to, to see what happened with that action," she said.
Ms Roome continued that if the social media companies didn't have the data, there would be "nothing" she could do, but said: "I have to try."
"It may be that it's too late. But what yesterday's hearing did do was it was the first landmark case, so it sets precedence now for other parents.
"There are unfortunately many other bereaved parents in the same position, desperate answers to what happened to their child. So it may well help them as well going forward."
She added: "Social media companies may, of course, have deleted some of the data.
"TikTok have previously said that they have. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but the coroner has the power to demand that information, and all I want is the chance to see if I can understand why my 14-year-old child is not alive."
The fresh inquest was ordered after it came to light that some online activity was not analysed because data had not been gathered from his phone.
However, since the original inquest, new powers have come into effect enabling coroners to request that Ofcom, the regulator of social media platforms in the UK, collect data that may be relevant to investigating a child’s death.
The ruling was secured following a four-year campaign, as Jools' parents battled to find out what happened to their son in the hours before his death.
Jools’ family has long campaigned for justice, insisting that social media has always played a role in his death.
The first inquest lasted just 23 minutes before it was quashed at the High Court.
Thursday's ruling is believed to be the first of its kind in England and Wales, where one of the key grounds in overturning the previous inquest was the total absence of any social media evidence which would have enabled the coroner to examine the role social media may have played.
Lord Justice Warby and Mrs Justice Heather Williams KC quashed the findings of Jools' original 2022 inquest, with a fresh inquest ordered so that the full circumstances of his death can now be examined.
During a conversation with Nick Ferrari on LBC’s Online Safety Day, however, Ms Roome lamented the “incredibly frustrating” 13-week wait for a decision from the Attorney General’s Office.
“I want to know why my 14-year-old son isn’t alive,” she explained to Nick. “While there’s a law that I could use to possibly get answers, then I want to try it.
"We have to apply to the High Court, but then I can use the new Data (Use and Access) Act to demand social media companies release that data... but I'm still waiting for the Attorney General to respond, and that's incredibly frustrating.”
After the interview, LBC sent enquiries to the Attorney General’s Office, including a question about whether her request had reached Lord Hermer’s desk.
Within 48 hours of LBC’s final query, Ms Roome received a letter from the Solicitor General, Ellie Reeves, confirming that the fiat - the authorisation from the Attorney General’s Office which allows the family to apply for a new inquest - had been granted.