Form tutor not aware Mia Janin was being bullied, inquest told
Alistair Davey tells Barnet Coroner’s Court he did not remember the Year 10 JFS student standing out as being isolated.
The form tutor of a teenager believed to have killed herself after she was made fun of in a group chat has told an inquest he never saw her being picked on at school.
Mia Janin, a Year 10 pupil at the Jewish Free School (JFS) in Kenton, north-west London, was found dead at her family home in Harrow on March 12 2021.
Her form tutor, Alistair Davey, told Barnet Coroner’s Court he did not remember her standing out as being isolated.
Mia’s father, Mariano Janin, has said he believes she was cyber-bullied by other pupils at JFS.
“I was unaware of any group chats relating to Mia,” Mr Davey told the inquest on Wednesday.
“She was a quiet, thoughtful and considerate girl. When she spoke, people listened.”
The inquest heard that Mia’s mother, Marisa Janin, had contacted the school to say her daughter was feeling lonely and isolated.
In one communication with staff, Ms Janin – who has since died – said Mia was upset at being one of the few children to “never have been invited to the bar mitzvahs of the girls in her class”.
Rabbi Howard Cohen, former deputy headteacher at JFS, told the inquest that after Mia’s death there was “some talk around the school” of what he described as “boys-only bravado groups” sharing images of girls.
Rabbi Cohen, who was the pastoral lead at the school and responsible for safeguarding, was also made aware of a boys’ WhatsApp group where members were rating the “attractiveness” of female pupils.
But there was no reason to believe the groups related to Mia, Rabbi Cohen said.
The deputy headteacher told the inquest he held a meeting with members of one of the group chats who then agreed to disband it.
He then held a year 10 boys-only assembly advising pupils to remove themselves from any such groups, the inquest was told.
Statements given by friends of Mia to the Metropolitan Police following her death were read out to the inquest on Tuesday.
In the statements, her friends said Mia was bullied by other pupils at the school, and that their friendship group was nicknamed the “suicide squad” in the months leading up to her death.
They said one of Mia’s TikToks was shared to a Snapchat group chat run by male pupils at JFS, where they made fun of her.
One child said the boys used the group chat to share nude photos of girls.
But North London area coroner Tony Murphy said there was no evidence that any images or videos involving Mia had been shared in the group chat, except for a TikTok video she posted the night before she returned to school.
Police discovered two hand-written notes when she was found, one addressed to her parents, and another to her best friend, the inquest heard.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
