MUM’S SOCIAL MEDIA WARNING

A HEARTBROKEN mum whose son was murdered because of a Facebook joke is warning about the dangers of social media.

Helen Godden is haunted by the knowledge that a mouse click led to the death of her beloved son Carl Gregory.

The 20-year-old had poked fun at his former girlfriend by posting a picture of a woman leapfrogging penis statues.

He added the caption: “How most girls get over ex’s.”

The remark led to savagery. Carl was throttled in a shopping centre car park, his killer then stamped on his head “as if he was stepping on a fly”.

Now Helen, 46, is determined no other family should have to suffer the pain she is going through.

She said: “I’m sure no one thought that day would end with murder but people see something on Facebook, get riled up and feel big and strong when they’re alone in front of a computer.

“They make plans and things quickly get out of control.”

Helen said that although social media can bring people together it also has a dangerous side as jokes can cause offence.

Nightmare

She said: “Words online can lead to very real actions with consequences. Carl’s murder was so senseless and we have to live for ever with the pain. People say he’s in a better place now but he’s not. A better place is here – with us.”

In March last year John Dickson, 27, was found guilty of murdering Carl in a car park near Broadstairs, Kent.

Dickson, of nearby Cliftonville, was jailed for life and told he would have to serve at least 18 years.

Maidstone crown court heard how the killer went to the car park with Christopher Pollard who had been told by Carl’s ex Chloe Lemare, now 22, that he had called her “a slag”.

Pollard, of Meopham, Kent, who was jointly accused of murder, was cleared of both murder and manslaughter.

During sentencing Judge Adele Williams echoed Mrs Godden’s warning about social media. She said: “This case well illustrates some of the dangers of young people on social media. It shows how an argument can escalate and be blown out of all proportion because of the speed of the communications.”

Recalling the dreadful night of her son’s death in October 2016, Helen said: