Devastated father of schoolgirl Mia Janin who killed himself after being bullied in vile Snapchat group claims 14-year-old’s school ‘asked the kids to delete the messages’

The father of schoolgirl Mia Janin – who killed herself after being bullied on social media – claims her school asked the children to ‘delete the messages’.

Young Mia Janin, 14, was found dead at home in Harrow, north London, in March 2021 after being bullied by classmates both online and at the Jewish Free School (JFS), where she was a Year 10 student.

A coroner’s court ruled that she had committed suicide “while still a child and while she was still becoming an adult,” after “experiencing bullying behavior from some male students.”

Her father Mariano, an Argentinian who moved to Britain with his wife Marisa in 2001, now claims the school ‘organized a meeting and asked the children to delete the messages’.

In 2022, it was reported that the school pulled some boys from the Snapchat group aside and told them to delete it; it denied this in a statement at the inquest.

Speak with bBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said, “I didn’t know anything about this online world. They say she was bullied. We found a screenshot showing that she was willing to be severely bullied, with the names of the children who bullied her.

‘They organized a meeting at school and asked the children to delete the messages.

“My common sense says that if you have a police investigation and you have a potential group, you should report it to the police. “Maybe this group of kids have information on their phones, but that’s what they did.”

Ms Kuenssberg also said the Metropolitan Police lost Mia’s phone ‘for a long time’ but are now arranging for it to be returned to her family.

She added that the school said: ‘The coroner’s report was not a reflection of how things are going at the school today.’

The inquest into Mia’s death, held at Barnet Coroner’s Court, heard she was viciously mocked in a Snapchat group of 60 boys after posting a video on TikTok in which she defiantly told her oppressors to leave her alone.

A child who gave a statement to police, which was read out in court, said sick tormentors had photoshopped girls’ faces into pornographic images.

Mr Janin said Mia, who had ambitions to become a doctor or architect, had struggled to integrate with others at the school and had been happier in lockdown when learning remotely.

He added that after the lockdown, she came home in a low mood and asked her parents if she could be home-schooled for the rest of the year.

The inquest later heard a ballot she had sent to a friend that evening, in which she said: ‘I am currently mentally preparing myself to be bullied tomorrow.’ Her parents found her body in her bedroom the next morning, March 12.

Two handwritten notes were found on her bed, written on pages torn from her diary, which was also found in the bedroom.

One was addressed to her family and the other to one of her best friends.

In the note to her family she wrote: ‘I just wanted to let you know that I love you very much. I was raised well by both of you.

“I learned a lot of things, I love you all very much. But I know this decision is the right one for me.

‘On earth I have never felt connected. I felt a desire to get away for a while. I know this is a shock to you.”

Bosses at JFS allegedly ‘deny’ there is bullying in the corridors, the inquest was told, but the coroner accepted evidence from the agency it said it was not aware of.

Despite this, the hearing was told that Mia and her friends were bullied at school, on the street and on the bus, hit with footballs while boys shouted at her; her tormentors called her friendship group the “suicide squad.”

Months after her death, the school’s security was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted inspectors, who noted that students were reporting ‘sexual bullying, including via social media’. The headteacher, Rachel Fink, left.

She closed the note, “Please let my friends have my stuff. I love you very much.’

At the inquest, Mr Janin described Mia as ‘fantastic… she was very cheerful, had a good sense of humour, she was beautiful, she was very kind, very creative.’

He said that “school is not just for the curricula” and that the school must promote “clear values” of respect, adding: “Unfortunately, I am a victim of this failing system.”

When asked if he wanted to see those responsible appear in court, he told the Telegraph: ‘Yes, but this is not about revenge… They must understand for themselves what they have done. I don’t know how they will deal with this in their lifetimes.’

The Jewish Free School says changes have been made since Mia’s death.

Dr. David Moody, the school’s headteacher, said after the verdict: ‘Although I was not in office at the time of Mia’s death, I can only promise that we will continue to do everything we can to embed all the changes that have been made. introduced over the past three years.

“Mia remains a greatly missed member of our school community and our thoughts remain with the family.”

Mr Janin previously spoke of the pain of burying both his daughter and his life partner, months apart, after she died of leukemia at the age of 59.

Mia and Marisa are buried side by side in a Jewish cemetery in Israel; Mr. Janin says he can hardly believe he made the same trip to Tel Aviv twice with the bodies of his loved ones in such a short time.

MailOnline has contacted the Jewish Free School for comment.

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit