Harry Lambert secures fresh inquest for Jools Sweeney in landmark ruling on children’s social media data

Harry Lambert appeared in the High Court yesterday to represent Ellen Roome in her fight for a fresh inquest into her son’s death to allow for previously omitted social media evidence to be examined. The ruling is believed to be the first of its kind in England & Wales.

Jools Sweeney died in April 2022 and was afforded only a 23-minute inquest which heard no oral evidence and proceeded without access to digital evidence which was unavailable at the time. He died around the time that the ‘blackout challenge’ was prevalent on social media and his parents were concerned about the role social media had played in his death. However, this was never examined at the inquest.

During a four-year campaign, Jools’ parents fought for a change in the law which led to the introduction of Jools’ Law, that requires the automatic preservation of a child’s online and social media data within five days of their death (enacted in April 2026). They also commissioned a private forensic analysis of Jools’ phone which uncovered evidence that had not been available to the original investigation.

This enabled Harry to make an application for a fresh inquest under section 13(1)(b) of the Coroners Act 1988.

The defendants in the case were the Senior Coroner for Gloucestershire and TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, the UK subsidiary of TikTok.

Sitting in the High Court on 16^th July 2026, Lord Justic Warby and Mrs Justice Heather Williams KC quashed the findings of Jools’ original 2022 inquest and a fresh inquest has been ordered. It is believed to be the first time in England & Wales that a fresh inquest has been ordered specifically to allow proper examination of a deceased child’s social media and device data. It will, for the first time, draw on powers under the Online Safety Act 2023 and the Data Use and Access Act 2025 to compel social media companies to disclose data relevant to a child’s death.

Harry will now request a Pre-Inquest Review hearing.

Harry said “When I first met Ellen a year ago…she was a mother with more questions than answers navigating a system that seemed determined to ignore her. Look at how far she has come. She has changed the law, and now she has won the right to the truth. This is the kind of case you come to the Bar to do.”

Harry acted pro-bono, instructed by Gary Miller of Mishcon de Reya.

Find out more

Ellen Roome’s campaign since the death of her son Jools Sweeney, for changes in the law to hold social media and big tech accountable, has been covered extensively in the media. This landmark ruling was reported across the UK including:

• BBC
• The Guardian
• The Independent
• The Telegraph
• The Times
• LBC
• Sky News

About Harry Lambert

Harry Lambert is Barrister and Coroner specialising in the areas of product liability, clinical negligence, and human rights law. He is also renowned for his expertise in group litigation claims relating to these areas.

He is also at the forefront of thought leadership on the law and emerging tech and is the Founder of the Centre for Neurotechnology and Law, whilst his 15-part series on Neurotechnology & The Law has garnered academic acclaim and been turned into a podcast run by the Italian equivalent of the Financial Times. Harry’s expertise on neurotechnology is such that he is asked to speak all over the world.

He has also carved out a unique market reputation at the intersection of law, social media and AI. Harry has written extensively on the subject, including on tortious liability for algorithmic wrongs in JPIL, and a 3-part series in the NLJ asking whether social media can be conceptualised as a defective product.

This expertise drives his practice: Harry acts for a number of bereaved parents who have lost children to social media harms including this high-profile Ellen Roome inquest involving the ‘Blackout Challenge’.

To find out more, contact Paul Barton on +44 (0)20 7427 4907 or Ben Fitzgerald on +44 (0)20 7427 4945

News 17 Jul, 2026