A mother who lost her son to suicide stated that a video of his corpse being shared on social media exacerbated her grief.
Daniel Knott, 39, passed away on March 27, and his mother Jenny Tancock was informed of the distressing video a few days later. Jacob Morse, age 22, had filmed Daniel prior to the arrival of emergency services. Jenny stated, "To post it online for the world to see is the ultimate insult, the ultimate degrading of someone."
Morse was sentenced to six weeks in prison on May 18 at the Llanelli Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to distributing a social media video that was excessively offensive, indecent, obscene, or threatening. Jenny has not viewed the video, but she and her family are extremely distressed by the fact that others have.
Jenny from Betws, Carmarthenshire, expressed anger, pure anger, and disbelief that someone could be so vile as to appear at such a scene and actually videotape it. Jenny was informed that a woman discovered Daniel's body and contacted emergency services. However, Morse who was working nearby, discovered the scene and used his mobile phone to photograph Daniel's body before emergency services arrived. She expressed mixed sentiments about Morse's six-week prison sentence, despite her anger.
Jenny has been left to reflect on the terror of the previous eight weeks, now that the court case is over. Losing a child is the worst tragedy that can happen to a parent. She stated that losing them to suicide elevated the tragedy to a different level. She recalled Daniel as "an enigma, full of beans, full of life, kind, caring, and generous from the day he was born, and beloved by all."
Daniel became a raver with a passion for joy, hardcore dance music, and DJing as he grew older. In contrast, seven years ago, Daniel was involved in a severe car accident that left him with a fractured skull and broken back. He underwent surgery to insert metal rods into his spine in order to stabilize it.
Jenny stated that he broke up with his girlfriend, lost his home, his employment, and essentially everything else. Physically, he was no longer able to play the decks. He was unable to stand for extended periods of time and shook from head to toe because the rods were pressing on his nerves. Almost as if Daniel had lost the fight.
She stated that she "just knew" when she saw police officers at her door. Jenny and her family are supported by The Jac Lewis Foundation, a local charity established by Jac Lewis's family after he committed suicide.
The organization accompanied her to court and arranged for her to receive therapy. She stated that the support was very helpful and speaking out would be worthwhile if it prevented one person who is tempted to take a video and share it under any kind of traumatic circumstances.
She mentioned that she wants to make people aware that these are human beings, that have families and that sharing things online for shock value or for likes is awful. She wants them to know that there are consequences.
