Jay Slater: If the search for missing Lancashire teens tells us anything it is - we must silence the trolls

It was the news we have all be dreading... a body has been found in the search for missing Lancashire teen Jay Slater.

While a formal identification is yet to be carried out, Spanish police have said the body was found with the 19-year-old's possessions and the clothes he was last seen in.

This is every mother's worst nightmare.

Debbie Duncan packed her beloved son off for a week of fun in the sun for the first time ever, never dreaming this could be a potential outcome of that trip.

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Spanish police say it looks like the apprentice bricklayer may have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where his remains were discovered.

Our hearts are with Jay's devastated family, friends and community at this awful time.

How the family begins to process this heartache I will never know.

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Jay had a bright and full future ahead of him. This has been unexplainably taken from him.

He was well-loved in Oswaldtwistle; this was very evident when the community turned the town blue as a symbol of hope and support to him and his family.

Today those blue ribbons flapped in the wind. They were no longer the symbol of hope but a reminder of what the town has lost. A vibrant young man with all his hopes and dreams ahead of him.

I have followed the search for Jay closely since the moment he disappeared. Like the case of Nicola Bully before him, something about his disappearance struck a chord across the UK.

As well as having to navigate what I am sure has been the worst time of their lives, his mum, as well as his other family members and friends, have had to deal with the constant torment of insensitive comments and conspiracy theories.

Debbie and her family have handled the unbelievably difficult situation with the utmost dignity.

I hope all those Tik Tok detectives and online trolls now hold their heads in shame.

Lancashire must now do what it does best. It must support while showing love and understanding to all those grieving.

Oswaldtwistle is a tight knit community and I am sure the Slater's family and friends will already be rallying together to help them through the next few hours, days, weeks and months.

But if Jay’s case teaches us anything - it is this - we must shut down and silence the trolls. I honestly believe there should be stronger sanctions for those found guilty of online abuse.

Do you agree?

Kind regards,

Vanessa Sims

Editor, Lancashire Post and Blackpool Gazette