Grieving Mum Targeted By Cruel Trolls After Son’s Death

A heartbroken mum has revealed how she was targeted by sick internet trolls just hours after her son died in a car crash.  Lynsey Turner's son Jackson and his sister Ally were travelling in a car with their grandmother Margaret Saunders when they were involved in a car crash at Newtownabbey in Co Antrim on St Stephen's Day. Jackson was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, where he later lost his battle for life. Ally and her grandmother were treated for bruising and shock. Not long after the tragedy, Lynsey began to receive to some strange messages via email and social media from people claiming to have known her son or seen him on the day of the accident. The mother (37) told Belfast Live:

"One said they were there [at the scene] in Jackson’s final hours and that he was safe and he was talking and that they were upset when they found out he had died. "But Jackson wasn’t conscious at the scene. I know that now from the hospital that he couldn’t have been." "It was happening on people’s newsfeeds - and by private mail. "I had people contacting me that didn’t know me and didn’t know the situation and pretended that they were at the scene and helped. "I had people who were pretending that they were at my house the night before and had met Jackson and that he was a lovely boy and they were commenting on him. "They’d never met him before."

Lynsey took the advice of the police and ignored the messages, but still finds it difficult to understand what drives "nasty, nasty people" to attempt to get involved in another family's tragedy. Right now, he focus is on her little girl:

"I’ve got Ally, my little girl." she said. "She needs me and she’s really struggling without Jackson. "I don’t really have time to feel sad or to lie in my bed - things that I want to do. I want to lie in my bed, I want to get my blinds closed, I want to not get dressed for three days. But I can’t do that with Ally here."

If you or someone you know if affected by bereavement, click here for local supports.  Images: Belfast Live