‘Nothing will bring back my Mia’: Heartbroken father of 14-year-old schoolgirl says his daughter was ‘failed’ by the ‘people meant to keep her safe’ – as inquest rules she took her own life after she was bullied by pupils in vicious Snapchat group

The heartbroken father of a 14-year-old schoolgirl who a coroner ruled took her own life after relentless bullying by male pupils said she was ‘failed’ by the ‘people who were meant to keep her safe’.

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 Barnet on March 12, 2021.

An inquest this week heard she was subjected to a vicious campaign of bullying by male pupils at school and online, which saw her targeted in a degrading boys-only Snapchat group.

North London area coroner Tony Murphy, sitting at Barnet coroner’s court, concluded today Mia ‘took her life while still a child and while still in the process of maturing into adulthood’

He said she ‘experienced bullying behaviour from some male students’.

Tragically, Mia’s mother, Marisa Janin, died just months after her daughter following an aneurysm.

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Janin told reporters: ‘Nothing will bring back my wife and my daughter Mia. For almost three years, we have sought answer for the loss of Mia.

‘Today, we find some of the answers on the failure of the people who trust and were meant to keep her safe.

‘My daughter experienced prolonged and sustained bullying in various ways in person and online.

‘In a way, it’s a relief this has now been recognised.

‘However, there needs to be accountability. Another family cannot live what I have lived.

‘I’m representing my wife and my daughter, who always held kindness towards others, and I will carry on.’

He paid tribute to his ‘fantastic’ daughter, adding: ‘She was a very bubbly, good sense of humour. She was beautiful. She was very kind, very creative.’

Mr Janin, an interior designer originally from Argentina, called for changes in online laws ‘to protect our kids’.

He said limits should be put on children’s internet access and clearer ways for authorities to collect social media data in the event of other tragedies like Mia’s death.

He added: ‘The school has to be more vigilant they need to involve more young people who understand all this social media and all this technology better than us.

He also called for schools to be ‘clear’ on values and how they transmit those to students, so people can ‘respect one another’.

He added: ‘It’s very simple. It’s nothing to do with me. Unfortunately, I’m a victim of this failing system.’

He welcomed the changes Mia’s former school had made since her death, and said Dr David Moody, the current headteacher, seemed to be ‘doing a good job’.

Mr Janin also signalled his support for the online safety act, which became law in October, as ‘something that is right’ but said he would not back a ban on smartphones in school.

Coroner Mr Murphy said Mia was last seen alive at about 10pm on March 11 2021 when she said goodnight to her parents in their family home.

Earlier that evening, she told them she had a ‘difficult week’ at school and asked to move to a different secondary school, which they agreed to look at, he added.

But Mia was found hanged by her parents at about 6.50am the following day.

Police later found two letters in Mia’s handwriting on her bed addressed to ‘her loving family and friends’, which ‘explained that Mia decided to end her life’.

Mr Murphy said Mia had ‘close friends, including at her secondary school, but she also experienced bullying from some male students’.

He added: ‘On 10 March 2021, Mia had posted a video on social media asking two of these male students not to mock her and criticising their music and fashion.

‘This video received a large number of hostile responses, which Mia found stressful.’

He said neither Mia’s family nor teachers were aware of the bullying before her death and her death was ‘entirely unexpected by her family, friends and teachers’.

This week’s inquest heard she bullied was ‘on buses, in class and at home’ by a group of boys who ‘still bully other students’.

Mia, whose friendship group was labelled the ‘suicide squad’ months before she died, was also targeted online, including in a vile boys-only Snapchat group which ridiculed and posted nude photos of female pupils.

Other images in the group show the girls’ faces photoshopped onto the bodies of porn stars.

But a TikTok video Mia made hitting back at two of her tormentors was shared to the group and led to such a backlash that she was left ‘extremely scared’ to go to school the next day.

In voice messages sent to friends the night before, she said: ‘I am mentally preparing myself to get bullied’.

Mr Murphy had said there was no evidence about whether any information, images or video about Mia was posted in the social media groups save for the TikTok video.

The school’s former deputy heard, Rabbi Howard Cohen, said he only learned of the Snapchat group – and a Whatsapp group where boys rated girls’ attractiveness – after Mia’s death.

He talked to the boys alleged to be members of one group and said they agreed to ‘disband’ the group. He said he no reason to believe the social media groups were any way linked to Mia.

JFS told the inquest it did not know Mia was being bullied or of the existence of the Snapchat group before her death.