Jay Slater's mother says internet trolls 'terrorised' her after son's death | UK news

The mother of Jay Slater, the British teenager who died while on holiday in Tenerife, says she has been “terrorised” by internet trolls since her son's disappearance.

Slater, an apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, near Accrington in Lancashire, disappeared after attending a music festival on the holiday island with friends in June. The 19-year-old's body was found about a month later in a ravine near where he was last seen. An autopsy revealed he had died after a fall.

His mother, Debbie Duncan, 56, said she continued to be harassed online even after her son's death. “I have no words to describe how sick these people are,” she told The Sun. “I was terrorised by trolls.”

Following Slater's disappearance, conspiracy theories and misinformation spread rapidly online. Duncan was forced to deny rumours that her son had stolen a Rolex watch worth £12,000, drawing the wrath of a drug cartel.

She was also contacted directly by some people and sent fake pictures, including a fake picture of her son being tortured. “The first week was all a blur,” she said. “I was in a hotel room in Tenerife looking for Jay – and I was being terrorized by trolls.”

Duncan and her son Zac compiled the data of those who did not hide their numbers. Many of them were based in the UK, but some messages came from as far away as Australia and the US.

“There were calls from people saying, 'We know where Jay is, he did this, he did that,'” she said. “Some people were screaming Jay's name or saying he was stabbed on a beach. And, oh my God, the stories were just unreal. Absolutely unreal. People were saying, 'He's in a hole, he's chained up.'

“It was just disgusting, absolutely disgusting. I wouldn't wish the torture I had to go through and am still going through on anyone.”

She said the family had been “drawn in” to some of the conspiracy theories and clung to the hope that Slater was still alive.

The abuse did not stop even after his funeral, she said. She recently received a handwritten note in the mail saying: “What are you going to do with all this money?” While her son was missing, a GoFundMe page was set up and raised more than £72,000, which Duncan said led to further trolling.

“Everyone has been badmouthing me for a GoFundMe donation that I didn't request,” she said, adding, “The only thing the money was used for is the housing costs, the dog team that came by – and some repatriation costs that are still ongoing.”

“I've been talking to GoFundMe practically every day and they've been amazing and so supportive.”