Nicola Bulley and Jay Slater: We're calling on PM Keir Starmer to stop online trolls in their tracks

Tougher punishments must await online trolls and victims must report abuse to police if we are going to stop online trolls in their tracks.

That was the message of some of Lancashire's newest MPs as they reveal how they too have become the victim of internet trolls.

The recent cases of missing Lancashire teen Jay Slater and missing mum-of-two Nicola Bulley before him have shone a light onto the depths some online trolls will sink to.

These families have endured a barrage of hate, conspiracy theories and abuse as they try to grieve and navigate the worst possible times of their lives.

Today, the Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette join with some of our region’s MPs to say 'enough is enough'.

No one should have to suffer horrific online abuse at the hands of an anonymous poster.

Sarah Smith, the new MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden which incorporates Oswaldtwistle - the hometown of 19-year-old Jay Slater, said: “It is distressing to read about the horrendous online abuse that the family of Jay Slater have been subjected to throughout the last month. 

“The issue of disinformation is a huge risk not just to the individuals who are targeted but also to the fundamentals of democracy. 

“It is incredibly cowardly for people to hide behind the anonymity of their keyboards and to cause the type of harm inflicted through online abuse. 

“As the MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden I will be taking this issue up with Lancashire Police to urge them around action that can be taken using existing powers.  

“I believe that tech firms should have greater responsibility to remove content which is spreading disinformation and will be raising this issue with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle MP.”

Apprentice bricklayer Jay Slater was missing for 29 days in Tenerife after suffering a fall after arriving on the Spanish isle to attend the NRG Festival with friends.

National newspapers, TikTok sleuths, TV investigators, anonymous trolls and online bloggers ran conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory with no thought of the family’s pain.

All of these theories including where he was accused of stealing a Rolex watch and that he was running from an Internationals drugs cartel were disproven.

Blackpool South’s new MP, Chris Webb, has been the victim of online and in-person abuse while on his campaign trial.

He said: “The case of Jay Slater and Nicola Bulley before him have shone a spotlight on a dark corner of the internet that is seemingly growing and becoming emboldened to step out of the shadows. Personal attacks and abuse towards their family members are contemptible and these trolls much be held to account. Families deserve dignity and respect during these incredibly difficult times.

“More broadly it is clear that online abuse, bullying and harassment is a huge problem that social media regulators, law enforcement and this government need to get to grips with.

“During both election campaigns I have been personally subjected to offensive and disrespectful comments on social media, sometimes repeatedly from the same individuals who feel safe to do so behind a keyboard. At times I have also been subjected to in-person abuse while out on the campaign trail, with obscenities and abuse being hurled at me from passing vehicles. I believe that this behaviour goes unchecked online emboldens people to carry this unacceptable conduct into the real world.

“Speaking to female colleagues I am aware that this problem is far more pronounced for them and women of colour are particularly at risk. I am aware of women who have stepped back from public life as a result of harassment and abuse and there is no doubt that many more modify their behaviour and actions to avoid it. This is wholly unacceptable.

“I recently attended an anti-bullying forum held by the Poverty Truth Network where young people spoke about their experiences both online and in person. Not only is it apparent that online abuse poses a genuine threat to personal safety but the impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing is clearly massive as well. Adults are quick to condemn young people’s behaviour online but how can we expect better from them when adults display the same behaviour?

“This government is committed to strengthening online safety laws and tackling online misogyny. I urge anyone using social media to think about the implications of their actions and to remain respectful at all times. And I urge anyone who is subject to abuse online to report it online and to police.”

The Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette ran a poll amongst readers asking them if they thought tougher measures should be taken with online trolls.

More than 90 per cent of readers voted overwhelmingly that something more should be done.

Vanessa Sims, editor of the Lancashire Post and Blackpool Gazette said: “I have been a journalist for 17 years and online abuse is now worse than it has ever been.

“Young reporters have to put up with so much hate simply for doing their job.

“I personally have had my share of online abuse and it is difficult to ignore.

“Trolls forget there are real people, with real feelings on the end of their abuse.

“The families of Nicola Bulley and Jay Slater had the worst time of their lived made even harder by trolls who believe they can say what they want, when they want to whoever they want.

“This needs to stop and action must be taken. If nothing is done people will stop putting their head above the parapet to fight for their beliefs.

“We are calling on the government and the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer to put tougher sanctions in place to deter online trolls before they get started.”

Former Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden said the difficulty is understanding who the perpetrator is as a real person.

Mr Snowden, the new Conservative MP for Fylde, said: "There's two things. The first is what can be done without legislation, so that's about working predominantly with social media companies to continuously get more robust at filtering out these comments and users.

"I know when I look at a lot of posts that I put on, due to the settings we now have on X for example, that a lot of comments are filtered out because of abuse or most likely spam.

"So there are algorithms that social media companies need to increasingly use, and also making it easier for people to understand how they can use the filters.

"In terms of legislation, the legislation already exists and was significantly beefed up under the last few Conservative governments.

"There are numerous public figures and other people who have had successful court trials, so you can take them to court.

"The difficulty is understanding who the perpetrator is as a real person. Most people who do online trolling, particularly the vile stuff, hide behind fake names, fake email addresses etc. 

"It can be really hard to pin them down, so the area where I think you need to look at is not necessarily about whether legislation is needed to be able to take perpetrators to court, it's about what the social media companies need to do and the legislation around that.

"That might be legislation that improves online safety and the requirements that should be put on social media companies about verifying who human beings are when they are logging into these accounts so they can be traced."

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “People are allowed to voice their opinions on social media as they are allowed to voice them in person, simply because you don't agree with their opinion (particularly where it is about you personally) does not mean this is a crime or that the police can take action.

“If a person sends threatening/abusive/grossly offensive messages to another person via Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking site, they could be committing an offence. The most relevant offences are 'harassment' and 'malicious communications'.

“For harassment to be committed, there must be a 'course of conduct' (i.e. two or more related occurrences). The messages do not necessarily have to be violent in nature, but would need to have caused some alarm or distress.”

“If you have threatening or abusive messages and believe an offence has been committed contact police on 101.”