Scotland Yard has recovered the sim card and phone belonging to a victim of bullying, a young girl who tragically took her own life. They were able to successfully locate and return these items.
On March 12, 2021, Mia Janin, a 14-year-old student at the Jewish free school in Kenton, north-west London, passed away. The police had lost evidence related to her death, such as her primary phone, secondary phone, and sim card, but they have since been retrieved.
The Metropolitan police issued a statement stating that during their investigation, they analyzed various belongings of Mia, including a sim card from her primary phone and a secondary device.
“During the previous year, when the family requested for the items to be returned, we were unable to find them in our property storage. However, we have recently found them and have communicated with the family’s representatives this week to plan the return of the items.”
The coroner’s office in Barnet reported that Mia was found deceased at her residence and an investigation revealed that she had been a victim of bullying from other JFS students. During the inquest, it was disclosed that one of her TikTok videos had been circulated in a Snapchat group managed by students, some of whom ridiculed her.
Mia’s dad, Mariano Janin, shared his thoughts on the government’s proposal to prohibit students from having phones in English schools on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show. He believes that this approach is not the solution and instead, society should embrace and adapt to the advancements in technology.
“I was unaware of the existence of the online world,” he expressed. It was said that she was a victim of bullying, and upon further investigation, we came across a screenshot stating that she had braced herself for severe bullying, even naming the individuals involved.”
He said that JFS arranged a meeting and instructed children to remove the messages.
He stated, “In my opinion, if there is an ongoing police investigation and there is a potential group involved, it would be wise to inform the authorities. It’s possible that this group of children may have information on their phones, but that remains to be seen.”
“Janin expressed concerns about the proposed government ban on phone usage in English schools, stating that children will likely still have access to phones and will simply hide them instead. She emphasized the importance of teaching children how to responsibly use their phones instead.”
He stated that social media platforms must also demonstrate responsibility. Additionally, he commended the passing of the online safety bill in October of the previous year, which strives to safeguard individuals from detrimental material.
According to the inquest into her passing, Mia’s parents said goodnight to her at their house around 10pm on March 11, 2021.
She was discovered deceased at approximately 6:50am the following day. Two letters written by Mia were discovered on her bed, without a specified date, addressed to her family and friends. These letters clarified that Mia made the decision to end her life.
Kuenssberg reported that Mia’s school, a Jewish free school in London, claimed to have given all relevant information to the police and disputed that the coroner’s report accurately represented the school’s current state.
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Contact Samaritans in the UK and Ireland by calling 116 123 for free, or by sending an email to [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, chat online at 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 for a crisis counselor. In Australia, dial 13 11 14 to reach the crisis support service Lifeline. For a list of other international helplines, visit befrienders.org.
Source: theguardian.com
