Claim 127b7810Checked 21 Jul 2026
TrueOn the truth scale
“Holly Woodcock was found deceased in France in August 2024 at the age of 20.”
—Daniel FrancisLabourLab / Bexleyheath and Crayford·Engagements·03 Jun 2026Factual · historical current chronological
Reasoning & Evidence21 Jul 2026
The claim that Holly Woodcock was found deceased in France in August 2024 at the age of 20 is corroborated by multiple independent sources.
**Death records and obituary notices** confirm the key facts precisely. A French death notice (published via the "Espace Funéraire Vendéen") records that Mademoiselle Holly Woodcock, born in Sidcup (United Kingdom) on 8 December 2003, died at Saint-Hilaire-la-Forêt (France) on 2 August 2024 at the age of 20. The French civil death record (acte de décès, sourced from INSEE data) likewise states: "Holly WOODCOCK décédée le 2 août 2024 à Saint-Hilaire-la-Forêt à l'age de 20 ans et née au Royaume-Uni le 8 décembre 2003," acte numéro 10.
**News reporting** from the Daily Mail, The Sun, and the Express all confirm the same core details: Holly Woodcock, age 20, was found at the bottom of a swimming pool at a friend's holiday villa in Saint-Hilaire-la-Forêt, France, in the early hours of 2 August 2024, following a party. She was pronounced dead by 3:09 am. Her parents are named as Lee and Joanna Woodcock, and the family is from Erith in south-east London, consistent with Daniel Francis's constituency of Bexleyheath and Crayford (neighboring Erith).
All sources align on the three elements of the claim: the name (Holly Woodcock), the location (France), and the date and age (August 2024, age 20). No source contradicts any part of the claim.
Sources: French obituary notice (Espace Funéraire Vendéen) via enaos.be — https://www.enaos.be/P1220.aspx?IdPer=834634&LgTrv=3 ; French obituary via pftm.fr — https://www.pftm.fr/P1220.aspx?IdPer=eaYKyr10n ; French civil death record (INSEE data) via acte-deces.fr — https://www.acte-deces.fr/recherche-deces-famille-woodcock ; Daily Mail — https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15932673/Parents-demand-answers-death-daughter-pool-French-villa.html ; The Sun — https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/39589172/heartbroken-parents-demand-probe-after-daughter-drowned-at-party/ ; Express — https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2222857/parents-demand-answers-daughter-dies-pool
From speech
Q11. I echo the comments the Prime Minister just made. In August 2024, my constituent Holly Woodcock was found deceased in France aged 20 years old. Her parents Lee and Joanna, who are in the Gallery, still have no idea what happened at Holly’s friend’s holiday villa. They have raised significant concerns with the Foreign Office regarding the investigation, including the inconsistencies in witness statements and timelines, how samples were prematurely destroyed and how matters raised by French lawyers were dismissed by the investigating French police officers and officials. I am grateful that a Foreign Office Minister met me and Mr Woodcock, but I share the family’s concerns that our Government should do more to press the French authorities to reopen the investigation. Will the Prime Minister commit to look at what can be done to raise the matter with his French counterparts at the highest level to help Mr and Mrs Woodcock get the answers that their daughter Holly deserves?
Sources opened
| [1] | pftm.fr |
| [2] | enaos.be |
| [3] | dailymail.com |
| [4] | thesun.co.uk |
| [5] | express.co.uk |
| [6] | acte-deces.fr |