Boys calling themselves 'Suicide Squad' bullied pupil before she took her life
A group of schoolboys nicknamed the 'Suicide Squad' reportedly used a group chat to cyberbully a 14-year-old pupil who is believed to have killed herself, an inquest has heard. Mia Janin was a Year 10 pupil attending the Jewish Free School (JFS) in Kenton, north-west London, before she was found dead in her family home in Harrow on March 12 2021.
Her father, Mariano Janin, believes she was cyber-bullied by fellow pupils at the school, telling the inquest that his daughter asked him if she could move schools a day before she died.
The court heard statements given by Mia's friends to the Metropolitan Police following her death. The statements, which gave further details of her bullying ordeal, were read out at Barnet Coroner’s Court on Tuesday.
Mia's friends told how the 14-year-old was picked on in the months leading up to her death - by a group of boys at their school nicknamed the 'Suicide Squad'. They added that one of her TikTok videos was shared to a Snapchat group chat, run by the group at JFS, where they ridiculed her. One child added that the boys used the group chat to share nude photos of girls.
The child said: “They took screenshots of girls’ faces on social media and made fun of them. They shared a video of Mia’s TikTok and made fun of her".
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They added that the boys would also Photoshop girls’ faces onto the bodies of pornography performers: "They used girls faces on porn stars’ bodies to upset us."
Mia's father believes she was cyber-bullied by other pupils at the school (ITV)The child also recalled a conversation they had with Mia the day before she died. They said that Mia asked: “If you died would people care about you the next day?”
“We laughed it off, that was all she said, it was just in normal conversation,” the child said.
Another child said Mia had posted the TikTok video the night before returning to school after Covid restrictions ended. The inquest heard that police believe the TikTok was posted on March 10, and Mia returned to school on March 11.
Mia's friend said that she received lots of negative comments on the TikTok video from fellow pupils at JFS. “Mia said she was fine, but I don’t think that she was fine,” the child said.
Her dad, Mr Janin, told the inquest that Mia asked if she could move school after coming home on March 11.
The inquest also heard that his wife Marisa, who has since died, told Mia she could be homeschooled for the rest of the school year, and that they would look into moving her to a new school after. Mia then went to bed, but was found dead hours later.
Area coroner Tony Murphy said there was no evidence that images or videos of Mia were shared in the group chat, except for the TikTok. The inquest heard that former deputy headteacher at JFS, Rabbi Cohen, told the boys to close the group after Mia’s death.
The Jewish Free School has said the school was not aware of the existence of the group chat until after Mia’s death.
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