'Online trolls make me lose faith in humanity', Jay Slater's mum tells LBC
She said the abuse began “way back last year, when Jay was missing,” explaining she's been sent conspiracies, doctored images, and abuse
Jay Slater’s mother has told LBC that relentless online abuse following her son’s death has left her “losing faith in humanity” - as she campaigns for tougher action against trolling in the wake of personal tragedy.
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Debbie Duncan described the scale of the false claims, conspiracies and doctored images shared online since her son went missing in Tenerife last year.
She said the abuse began “way back last year, when Jay was missing,” explaining that conspiracies spread claiming “he’d been murdered” and that she was involved in a so-called “big scam”.
Her 19-year-old son, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, attempted a 14-hour walk home the morning after taking drugs and alcohol on a night out on the holiday island last summer.
A huge search was launched after he was reported missing on June 18, and his body was found by a mountain rescue team almost a month later in the steep and inaccessible Juan Lopez ravine, on July 15.
His disappearance sparked a massive manhunt and a host of conspiracy theories about his death.
She said this misinformation persisted despite the facts being set out at her son’s inquest, telling the programme that “content creators still refused to believe the facts”.
Among the most distressing material, her family and Jay’s friends were confronted with doctored photographs placing her son’s face onto images of tortured bodies.
Ms Duncan said the abuse had taken a toll on her mental health and “a lot of his friends” who continued to encounter harmful posts.
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Ms Duncan and Sarah Smith, MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden, are now campaigning for 'Jaws Law', aiming to strengthen protections for bereaved families by lowering the threshold for prosecuting online abuse linked to tragic incidents.
Ms Smith told LBC that current thresholds in the Online Safety Act are “too high” to act as a deterrent.
She argued that if individuals shouted such abuse at Ms Duncan’s home, “they would be arrested”, yet online creators can “curate audiences… to an unlimited number of people” without consequence.
Ms Smith said the same individuals appear to be targeting “family after family”, including those involved in other high-profile cases such as Nicola Bulley.
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The MP also noted that harmful online speculation can deter witnesses from coming forward, saying some were reluctant to give evidence at the inquest because of what they feared would follow.
Ms Duncan said she supported freedom of speech but questioned why harmful content continues even after the inquest’s findings
“When does it stop? When’s it going to end?” she said.
Speaking about her son, Ms Duncan said she wanted the focus to return to Jay himself.
She described him as “a joy to be around”, popular, football-loving, and close to completing his apprenticeship.
“He was loving life,” she said, adding that her campaign work is driven by him: “He’s keeping me going.”