Mia Janin, 14, allegedly killed herself after being bullied by a group of boys at her school. An inquest heard on January 22, 2024, that the boys had a Snapchat group where they sent fake n*des of the school girls and mocked them.
Mia was among the girls who were allegedly bullied online and in person while attending Jewish Free School (JFS) in Kenton, north-west London. As per The Sun, one of the boys named her group a "suicide squad," while the others kicked a football at them.
On March 12, 2021, the teen was found dead in her family home in Harrow, United Kingdom. Her father, Mariano Janin, said in the Barnet Coroner's Court that he believes she was cyberbullied by other students at Jewish Free School.
What happened to Mia Janin?
Mia Janin, a 14-year-old teen, was allegedly bullied in and out of her school by a group of boys. She was reportedly bullied for three years, and on March 12, 2021, she committed suicide.
As per the Daily Mail, Barnet Coroner's Court discovered the Snapchat group named "Panacha" with more than 60 male participants, mainly from JFS.This group exploited its platform to post derisive messages targeting female students, along with disseminating images wherein their faces were digitally imposed onto the bodies of adult film actors in a demeaning manner.
Moreover, the group was allegedly engaged in sharing n*des pictures of their female classmates, which were gained by pressurizing or threatening them.
On March 10, 2021, Mia shared a video on TikTok criticizing a "clothing brand" created by two students who bullied her. However, after this, she received many negative comments, as reported by Jewish News. As a result of the video, Mia's friend said in court that she sent a voice note saying that she was "mentally preparing herself to get bullied."
Moreover, the court was told that Mia seemed normal the following day. Many mentioned that they knew Mia was being bullied, but they did not know things could worsen as Mia "used to hide it very well." However, one student said Mia asked, "If you died, would people care about you the next day?". Her friend laughed it off and said it was not a big deal.
As per the Jewish Chronicle, in a pre-inquest in May 2021, the parents of Mia Janin raised concerns over bullying with staff at the Jewish Free School (JFS). However, the school denied the three-year bullying campaign against Mia and Snapchat.
In the recent inquest on January 22, 2024, students mentioned in court that Mia's bullying was so evident that teachers and staff must have known about it. However, the Snapchat group was deleted at the request of the school's former deputy headteacher, Rabbi Cohen, as per the BBC.
The father of Mia Janin, Mariano Janin, told in the inquest,
"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."
He further added,
"Marisa (her 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."
Mia Janin was a cheerleader. She also went to Sylvia Young Theatre School on the weekends. However, the alleged suicide case's inquest continues.