Girl, 14, who took own life over ‘bullying’ had fake nude photos shared by tormentors who named pals ‘suicide squad’
A TEEN girl who took her own life after years of bullying had fake nude photos shared at school by her tormentors, an inquest heard.
Mia Janin, 14, was allegedly bullied online and in person by a group of boys while attending the Jewish Free School (JFS) in Kenton, North London.
An inquest heard the boys had a Snapchat group where they mocked and posted nude photos of girls at the school.
One of the boys also named her friendship group the “suicide squad” and others kicked footballs at them.
Barnet Coroner’s Court was told pupils claim teachers must have been aware of the bullying but did nothing to stop it.
JFS has denied they knew about the three-year campaign and the difficulties it was causing Mia.
On March 12, 2021, the teenager was discovered dead at her family home in Harrow.
The inquest heard from a number of children in her year at JFS, who told the court about the bullying campaign.
One said how the group of boys “bullied her and they still bully other students”.
Another described how they kicked footballs and her friends and filmed her and called Mia names.
The court was also told there was a Snapchat group named “Panacha” that included more than 60 boys from JFS and possibly other schools.
They used this group to post mocking messages about female pupils and shared photos of their faces superimposed on to nude bodies of porn stars, it was said.
The group was also allegedly used to share nude photos of their classmates, which they pressured girls to send them.
One child described the group as “intimidating” and “disrespectful”.
They added: ‘I never saw the group chat but did know things would be shared on it because people would talk about what was being shared at school.”
The inquest heard on the evening before her death, a TikTok video criticising two of her bullies was shared in the Snapchat group.
Mia was said to be left feeling increasingly anxious by this and told a friend she was “mentally preparing herself to get bullied” as a result of the video.
The court was told she seemed “normal” the following day at school but did tell one pal: “If you died, would people care about you the next day?”
Her friend said: “I didn’t think it was a big deal, we laughed it off.”
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EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
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The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
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If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123
The inquest heard the Snapchat group was deleted at the request of Rabbi Cohen, the school safeguarding lead, a few weeks after Mia’s death.
JFS’s position is that the school was not aware of the existence of the group chat before the tragedy.
Her dad Mariano Janin told how his “special” daughter had been “full of plans” for the future.
He added: “On the last night of Mia’s life we were sitting at the table having dinner, and she told us she had a hard week.
“I was surprised as to what she said, as she had only been back at school one day. She said she wanted to leave JFS.
“Marisa [Mia’s mother] told her she could and we could look into home schooling.
“I was very concerned what would have happened after one day at school, that she should come home distressed.
“I didn’t realise at the time just how bad things were for her.”
The inquest continues.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.