Teenager's inquest to reopen after mum's campaign
The High Court in England and Wales has ordered a fresh inquest into the 2022 death of 14-year-old Jools Sweeney. The decision aims to allow a deeper investigation into the role of social media and digital device data in his death.
Why it matters
This ruling sets a legal precedent for using modern data access laws to hold social media companies accountable for their impact on child safety.
Image source, Handout Image caption, The High Court has quashed the conclusion of an inquest into 14-year-old Jools Sweeney's death after a successful legal challenge from his mother Ellen Roome
An inquest into the death of a 14-year-old boy, following what his mother believes was an online challenge gone wrong, is to be re-opened after its original conclusion was quashed at the High Court.
Jools Sweeney died in 2022 and an inquest into his death in September of that year lasted 23 minutes and called no live evidence before returning a narrative conclusion.
The High Court has now quashed the senior coroner for Gloucestershire's conclusion after a legal challenge from Jools' mother, Ellen Roome.
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