A 14-year-old girl who is believed to have taken her own life was allegedly mocked by boys in a Snapchat group chat, an inquest has heard. Mia Janin, a pupil at the Jewish Free School in north-west London, was found dead at her home in Harrow on 12 March 2021.
Statements from friends read out at Barnet Coroner's Court said Mia was bullied by other pupils and that their friendship group was nicknamed the 'suicide squad'. One of Mia's TikTok videos was shared to a Snapchat group run by male pupils, where they made fun of her, the inquest was told.
A child said the boys used the group to share nude photos of girls and Photoshopped girls' faces onto the bodies of pornography performers. The child said they spoke to Mia the day before she died, when she asked: 'If you died, would people care about you the next day?'
Mia's father, Mariano Janin, said he believes she was cyber-bullied by other pupils. He told the inquest that after returning from school on 11 March, Mia asked to move schools. Her mother, Marisa, agreed to homeschooling and a possible move, but Mia died hours later.
Area coroner Tony Murphy said there was no evidence that images or videos of Mia had been shared beyond the TikTok. The inquest heard that a former deputy headteacher told the boys to close down the group after Mia's death. The school has said it was unaware of the group chat before her death.
