Kate Garraway and Richard Madeley reported on the tragic story of teen Murray Dowey after he took his own life as his parents are attempting to take legal action against Meta
Good Morning Britain presenters delivered heartbreaking news following a teenager’s “devastating” death. On Thursday’s (December 18) instalment of the beloved ITV programme, Kate Garraway and Richard Madeley updated audiences on the latest happenings across Britain and internationally.
Their studio colleague Ranvir Singh handled extra news bulletins, while Alex Beresford provided regular weather forecasts during the show. Later in the show, Richard and Kate discussed the tragic case of 16 year old Murray Dowey, who tragically took his own life after being blackmailed on Instagram.
“Now, his mum and dad, Ros and Mark, claim the trillion dollar company privatised profit over safety… [They] are taking legal action against the internet giant Meta for the alleged wrongful death of their son,” Kate disclosed, reports Wales Online, reports the Mirror.
“It’s thought to be the first UK case of its kind.”
Richard added: “Murray Dowey was comprehensively tricked by scammers on Instagram, which of course is owned by Meta. He thought he was sending intimate pictures of himself to a teenage girl roughly his own age, but he wasn’t.
“He was sending them to a gang. And the moment they got them, they revealed themselves and they blackmailed him, and he succumbed and took his own life. His parents claim that the company is prioritising profit and missed opportunities to protect teenagers.”
Reporting from Dunblane, Scotland, our correspondent Juliet Dunlop shared: “Ros and Mark Dowey should be looking forward to spending Christmas with their son, but instead, they are taking on the world’s biggest social media company Meta on his behalf.”
She further stated: “A company they firmly believe could have prevented his death in December 2023.”
In a heart-wrenching interview recorded last year, Murray’s father, Mark, expressed his profound grief: “One of the reasons it’s so devastating is it comes into your house, exactly where Murray should have been safest, in his room asleep. Just switch the phone off, walk away from them, go and get help. I wish [he had] done that.”
Overcome by sorrow, Mark admitted: “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Juliet continued her report, saying: “Murray’s family have tried to campaign to raise awareness of this type of crime, which sadly, is on the rise. But their grief has turned to anger… Lawyers acting on their behalf claim that Meta knew of safety features that could prevent sextortion prior to his death.”
The segment also featured Murray’s mother, Ros, who passionately stated: “They could have prevented the death of Murray, our son. He would be here if the product had been fixed. I know what we’re taking on, we’re taking on one of the biggest global organisations. Bring it on.”
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