Facebook refuse to release boy’s files to grieving mother

A heartbroken mother who believes her teenage son took his own life after being cyberbullied has pleaded with Facebook to show compassion by releasing records to the coroner.

Elaine Hughes made the plea after gardaí told Dublin coroner Brian Farrell that attempts to retrieve messages sent to her 17-year-old son Darren Hughes-Gibson on the social networking site have failed because Facebook are not co-operating.

“I would appeal to Facebook to please show some compassion. He was a 17-year-old child whose life was lost through no fault of Facebook, but to the bullies who put those messages up there,” said Ms Hughes outside court.

“For a bit of justice for him, if they could please, please release them to the coroner’s court. I do not feel that there has been a full investigation. Please God nobody else has to go through what we have had to go through as a family.”

Darren was found at Stephenstown Industrial Estate in Balbriggan, north county Dublin on August 23, 2012. He had been reported missing by Ms Hughes when he failed to return to their home at New Haven Bay, Balbriggan, the previous night.

On the first day of the inquest, held last September, Ms Hughes told the coroner Darren may have received threats on Facebook before his death that were subsequently deleted. The inquest has been adjourned a number of times so gardaí could request copies of the messages from Facebook.

In the intervening period, Ms Hughes also found texts on Darren’s phone, submitted to the court, which she described as “horrific” and “threatening”.

Garda Fergal McSharry told Dr Farrell gardaí have been liaising with the FBI on retrieving the messages from Facebook but the company is not co-operating.

“Mutual assistance has not worked. Headquarters here in the Phoenix Park got onto the FBI who got onto Facebook. That is the mutual assistance and Facebook have not co-operated with them,” he said.

Garda McSharry also told the court the DPP has directed that there will be no prosecution. “No offence has been disclosed,” he said.

When asked by Ms Hughes if the people who sent the messages have been interviewed by gardaí, he said they have not.

Addressing the coroner, Ms Hughes said she believes that, if everything had gone to the DPP, including the Facebook messages, “it would be a different story”.

“For me, a full investigation would be every message, whether it is phone message or a Facebook message, a threat is a threat no matter how it is received… I do not understand how an investigation can be passed on to the DPP without speaking to the individuals involved and having those messages from Facebook.”

Ms Hughes is a meeting with the DPP. “Every single day we are losing teenagers,” she said. “Does it get to a stage where you are above the law? You can do whatever you want?”

Dr Farrell said he would write to Facebook directly requesting the records but warned the family they should not be “over optimistic” that he will succeed.

He adjourned the inquest until September 22.

Last night, a Facebook spokesperson said: “Facebook’s law enforcement team works closely with agencies around the world. We respond to valid legal requests for information and encourage law enforcement agencies to follow our guidelines to help take their cases forward.”