The Story Behind Willow's Law

REAL

Naomi Channell

Society & Culture, News, Documentary, True Crime

4.8 • 725 Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In October 2024, Mother-of-one Courtney Lee's found the body of her teenager child. They had taken their own life after being bullied.

Statistics state that around 200 teenagers die by suicide each year in the UK, with bullying being a common factor that leads them to this heartbreaking decision.

Now Courtney is advocating for victims of bullying by trying to get the government to take action. In this episode, Courtney shares her story and her fight for Willow's Law.

This is REAL.

To sign the petition please click here:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/732221

UK - https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/

https://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/contact.html

Ireland - https://www.antibullyingcampaign.ie/

Australia - https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/

New Zealand - https://bullyingfree.nz/

America - https://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/

To support the show, you can join Patreon here, thank you:

https://www.patreon.com/c/REALtruecrimepodcast

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Warning, this is a true crime podcast and is not suitable for all audiences.
0:05.5	Please use discretion.
0:08.3	This episode contains descriptions of self-harm and suicide.
0:13.0	Please take extra care whilst listening.
0:16.8	According to the Office of National Statistics, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in children and young people.
0:26.1	It's hard to imagine and this is going to be a very, very difficult episode.
0:31.5	But at the centre of this is a mother's fight for change.
0:36.7	Bullying drove her child to suicide. And now she wants people to be made accountable
0:44.5	and to stop this from happening to anybody else. I'm Naomi Channel and this is real. This episode is a very tough but very important listen. Today we're going to hear from a woman called Courtney Lees. She lost her child to suicide because the bullying that they were experiencing meant they could see no way out.
1:47.5	The child in question is Willow. It's important to note here before we start that Willow was
1:55.2	questioning their gender identity and was known by many people as Ollie. Courtney is using the name Willow today because
2:04.5	this episode centres around a petition that Courtney has started that would be calling for schools
2:12.0	to be held to account when consistent bullying occurs. Courtney has named this petition Willow's Law.
2:23.3	Courtney, I am so sorry that we are meeting under these circumstances, and I am so profoundly
2:30.4	sorry for your loss, and I hope that we can help make some sort of change.
2:39.8	And I want to thank you for speaking out because this must be so painful for you.
2:45.5	So let's guide you through gently.
2:48.9	So should we go back to the beginning?
2:51.4	You find out you're pregnant and you have a baby.
2:57.3	And what happens next in your life?
3:01.8	How Willow came about came from, it wasn't a great relationship.
3:05.4	It was very toxic.
	...

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