Mother’s Horror Over Online Abuse Of Daughter, 16, With Down’s Syndrome

This is awful.

A mother says she is “horrified” photos of her daughter are again being used by “internet trolls” to insult people with Down’s Syndrome.

Liz Crowter, from Coventry, said she asked Facebook to remove photos of her daughter Heidi, 16, which she found on “derogatory and insulting pages” over the weekend, but they are still there.

She said the photos of her daughter as a toddler had been stolen from a website for a parents’ support group.

Facebook has yet to make a comment.

Mrs Crowter said Heidi had been the victim of internet trolls “lots of times”.

Heidi’s pictures were taken from a local support group website, which Mrs Crowter ran for about five years.

Mrs Crowter shared her experiences of being the mother of a child with Down’s Syndrome through the group and members also went on trips and holidays together.

‘Feel violated’

In October, she found her daughter’s picture on a Facebook page which insulted people with Down’s Syndrome and other learning difficulties.

Some of the comments left about her daughter and other people were of a sexual nature, she said.

The mother-of-four contacted Facebook and also West Midlands Police, who she said informed her it was not a matter for officers.

Heidi’s picture has been removed but the page remains, Mrs Crowter said.

Over the weekend Mrs Crowter was told by friends that Heidi’s picture had been put on a new page which insulted people with Down’s Syndrome.

Mrs Crowter said: “I feel violated and violated on Heidi’s behalf. I’m disgusted that people can be so sick.

“It’s not just Heidi, it’s photos of other people’s children as well.”

She said she and her friends had reported the latest incident on Monday using Facebook’s system to report abuse but the picture was still up.

Mrs Crowter said Heidi was a “very independent young lady” who was studying for her GCSEs at a mainstream school and doing a hairdressing course.

“She’s funny, stubborn and very kind,” she added.

“We’re all very upset and it and they [her other children] see her as a lovely sibling that they want to protect and support.”