Jay Slater's mum 'accused of his murder by trolls'

The mother of Jay Slater has said online trolls accused her of murdering her son during the height of a social media frenzy after he disappeared on holiday in Tenerife last summer.

Debbie Duncan, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, said misinformation during the search for the 19-year-old in Tenerife last year had taken a huge toll on her family.

She has called for a new law to crackdown on speculation during missing person searches, and has the backing of her local MP Sarah Smith.

Mr Slater's body was discovered in a ravine on the island on 15 July, following a 29-day search that made headlines around the world.

He had been in a nightclub with friends in the resort of Playa de las Americas and then went to an Airbnb in the north of the island with two men he had met.

The following morning, 17 June, he left the property in the Masca area and called friends, saying his phone was dying and he had no water.

A huge search was launched after he was reported missing and a month later his body was found in a ravine.

Mrs Duncan told BBC Breakfast that "there was a different story every day" after Jay disappeared, and "we didn't know what was real and what wasn't real".

"When the facts were out there people didn't want to believe the truth and still, to this day, they are just talking rubbish really," she said.

Hyndburn Labour MP Smith said: "It is entirely wrong that people can continue to speculate, with no end date, about what's happened in these incredibly tragic circumstances, with no consideration of how that is impacting on those that have lost a loved one."

She said "these people are moving from family to family causing them an absolute living hell".

Jay Slater's mum Debbie Duncan said social media was helpful initially but her family soon saw its "dark side"

Lancashire coroner Dr James Adeley concluded that Jay Slater died an accidental death without third-party influence at an inquest held in July.

Mrs Duncan is featured in a Channel 4 documentary about her son, The Disappearance of Jay Slater, which will be shown on Sunday.

Social media platforms told the BBC they would remove misinformation that was likely to contribute to the risk of imminent physical harm or interference.

YouTube said certain types of misleading and deceptive content with serious risk of harm were not allowed.

TikTok said it did not allow misinformation on its platform.