Teenager's inquest to reopen after mum's campaign

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.

Roome, who wept in court as the decision was read out, said: "We hope this is a turning point, not only in finding the truth about Jools, but in making the online world safer for every child."

The ruling is believed to be the first in England and Wales in which a fresh inquest has been ordered specifically to allow proper examination of a deceased child's social media and device data.

The Online Safety Act 2023, external - which was not in place when Jools' inquest took place - means Ofcom can now request information from social media firms, including material a child viewed or uploaded.

Jools Sweeney's parents, Matt Sweeney and Ellen Roome, are still trying to find out why their son died in 2022

Roome, from Cheltenham, said she would also use the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, external to request Jools' social media content via the coroner.

"I cannot live the rest of my life without trying to look for answers as to why my son's not here," she said.

"Hopefully it shows that actually going forward, social media companies must step up and protect children online."

Neither the coroner nor social media platform TikTok opposed the bid to reopen the inquest.

Roome's lawyers told the hearing new evidence had come to light concerning the role of social media in Jools' death and a "number of lines of inquiry" which were not pursued at the original inquest "bear directly upon TikTok's platform and the data it holds".

Lord Justice Warby, sitting with Mrs Justice Heather Williams, quashed the original inquest's conclusion and ordered a new inquest to take place at a later date.

Roome said she believed the fresh inquest would serve as a useful precedent for other parents who believed social media contributed to their child's death.

"To every parent facing the unimaginable, please don't give up. We never stopped fighting for our son, and today's decision shows that hope should never be lost.

"If J