Outrage at fake news post on Facebook showing ‘dead girl run over by car at school gates’ that was staged to ‘raise awareness’
Horrified people reacted to the picture of a young girl, covered by a high-visibility jacket lying lifeless on a road outside a Leicester junior school
A SICK Facebook stunt showing the "dead body" of a young girl apparently killed after she was hit by a car outside school has been slammed.
Horrified people reacted to the picture of the "body", covered by a high-visibility jacket lying lifeless on a road outside a Leicester junior school.
Accompanying the picture was a description of what could have led to the child dying, which seemed believable for many people reading the post.
Shocked locals bombarded police with calls about the "disgusting" message until it was revealed the accident had never happened and was a "fake".
The post was part of a "safety awareness stunt" designed to shock, and the "girl" under the jacket was actually a mannequin.
The original admin of the Facebook page has since said the person behind it has been relieved of their admin duties for the "poor taste" post.
The post uploaded to the "Spotted" page for Leicester's New Parks area claimed the accident happened yesterday morning after the pupil was dropped off at school by her father.
It said the girl had forgotten her lunch box and rushed out to get it from the car when she was hit by a mother in another vehicle.
The post, removed from the page after it provoked angry responses, said the mother had "no chance of stopping and was not to blame" because her visibility was obscured by cars stopping on yellow zigzag lines.
It added the girl had been declared "unresponsive at 09.18 this morning".
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The message had been posted as part of an unofficial safety campaign aimed at raising awareness of parking issues outside a local primary school.
Some people agreed it was an effective shock campaign but that it had not been well thought through.
Concerns about illegal parking outside Inglehurst school, in New Parks, have been raised in recent weeks.
And one person claimed the stunt was aimed at "saving a child's life" by shocking drivers.
Many of the people who commented on the post believed the story was real were disgusted someone had taken and posted online a picture of a child lying injured or dead.
One Facebook user who believed what they had read posted: "This is just sick. If that was my daughter, I would hunt you down.
"Taking a photo of child on the floor ... you should be ashamed. A child's death isn't to be mocked. I'm literally appalled." Another wrote: "To say this post is disgusting or out of order is an understatement. The person should be named and shamed."
After it was revealed as fake another Facebook user wrote: "Fake or not it's disgusting. Imagine all the parents panicking now wondering if it was there child and ringing schools up to check."
A spokeswoman for Leicestershire Police confirmed the post was "fake" and that "no accident" had taken place.
Earlier this month a mum shamed parents on Facebook's Spotted New Parks site for poor parking outside Inglehurst Junior.
She posted several photos of them parked on zigzag lines outside the school, which are intended to designate a no parking zone. There is no suggestion the mum's campaign is linked to today's Facebook stunt.
Sharon Downes, head of Inglehurst Junior School, said: "I'm not aware of the Facebook post. We don't want parents to park on the yellow lines outside school but we have nothing to do with this and were completely unaware."
Google and Facebook have said they are working on ways to stop the spread of fake news, amid warnings over the potential consequences of some of the material being shared online.
Earlier this year a helpless dad watched from his bedroom window as his 11-year-old son was hit and killed by a car outside their home.
And a family spoke of their heartbreak after a 17-year-old student and his 12-year-old half sister were killed in a head-on collision with a van as they travelled home from school.
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