SICK PICS OF DEAD AMELIA
Fury as grisly images posted on social media I messaged picture ghoul and said ‘how could you do this?’
RELATIVES of tragic Brit backpacker Amelia Bambridge were left horrified as pictures of her body were posted on Instagram and Facebook.
Ghouls uploaded three pictures showing the 21-year-old floating face-up and in tattered clothing after fishermen found her.
They appeared on Facebook and a backlash followed when a US blogger – with 1.9 million followers – used a close- up on Instagram to show Amelia’s tattooed arm.
Incredibly, Facebook initially refused to take the images down, claiming they did not breach rules.
Amelia’s brother Harry urged Instagram users to report p the p post, , adding: “Get this is f***ing insensitive woman n to stop posting picictures of my dead ad sister.”
Even Amelia’s 11-year-old nephew saw the image. And a friend revealed d how the back- packer’s sisters ers Georgie, 19, and Sharon only found und out about Amelia’s death through Facebook.
Hannah Cook, 21, alerted the pair after seeing the grim images in a social media post.
She said: “Sharon told me it’s absolutely disgusting. That’s the last image she has of her sister.
“Then the woman from the US reposted them. I messaged her and said, ‘How could you post the image of a dead body’?”
The scandal comes weeks after Instagram vowed to tighten its rules on posting self-harm and mutilation images.
Deputy Labour Leader Tom Watson MP said: “This is disgraceful. Instagram’s community standards are clearly morally redundant if they don’t rule these posts in breach of guidelines. This proves how urgently we need a regulator to hold companies to account for decisions like this.”
Amelia was found in the sea off the Cambodian isle of Koh Rong.
The image which sparked fury showed her sand-covered arm and distinctive Highland cow tattoo.
A spokesperson for Facebook later added: “We’re saddened by the news about Amelia Bambridge and our thoughts go out to her family and friends.
“We have clear rules against posting graphic content, when we are made aware of this content we remove it.
“People often use Facebook and Instagram to share stories in the news and this can result in content appearing that some may find upsetting.”
Amelia went missing in Cambodia 10 da days ago and was found on Thursday.
She is believed to hav have accidentally dr drowned after le leaving a party.
The picture r eported by brother Harry, of Worthing, W West Sussex, was p posted on an acco count with a captio t i on t hat said: “Fore Forensic Friday! T Tattoo id identification ifi was super helpful this week in an investigation involving a young woman.
“Searchers were able to quickly identify her body based on the clothes she was wearing when last seen, along with her tattoos.”
The account holder removed the images but only after 11,000 “liked” it on Instagram and yet more did the same on her Facebook page.
The woman behind the post is famed for gory images of bodies. Her blog claims to include pictures of beheadings.
A government spokesman said steps were being taken to “tackle a wide range of online harms, including limiting the spread of distasteful and harm
ful content”.