Following the fantastic support for signing the petition for #JoolsLaw (Thank you so much), many really kind people have asked how else they can help.
As many will have seen in the media, I have fought incredibly hard to try to get data from social media companies, which might help explain why our son, Jools, ended his life at age 14.
Jools’ initial inquest didn’t thoroughly look at Jools’ social media. Some of his accounts were never looked at. (I now know it’s very common for teenagers to have multiple social media accounts; we didn’t know before).
Since social media companies refused to give me complete data without a court order, our only option is to apply to the Attorney General (AG) to redo Jools’ inquest. If the AG approves it, it has to go to the High Court to be approved. Then, the Coroner can demand data release from social media companies under a court order. (I do find it ridiculous that social media companies won’t help us without having to go this route.)
This comes at a price with having to pay solicitors, barristers, and High Court fees.
So many kind people have offered help, and it’s rather embarrassing to have to ask, but I wondered if people might consider donating the price of a coffee to help us raise the funds to release Jools’ data. This might answer why Jools is no longer alive and perhaps help make a landmark case, which could help other bereaved parents.
No parent should have not to know why their child died, and whilst this may not give us answers, we feel we HAVE to try at least to see if social media played a part in the loss of our precious son.
I wish I were in a position where I didn’t need to ask for help, but we can’t afford to fight these social media companies without your help. Even just a small amount of £1-2 would help if you can, please.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully help.
Kind regards,
Ellen Roome & Matt Sweeney
(Jools’ Mum & Dad)