The inquest into the death of Belly Mujinga, a railway ticket officer who died of covid-19 in April 2020, concluded today. Ms Mujinga, who was medically vulnerable, had been required to work on the concourse at Victoria Station in the days leading up to the first lockdown. Shortly before she died Ms Mujinga reported that a member of the public had approached her on the concourse and had spat at her and her colleague, before telling them he had covid. She told family and friends that this was a racially motivated incident. She then contracted covid-19, and sadly died shortly thereafter.
A petition seeking ‘Justice for Belly’ received over 2 million signatures; the matter was discussed in parliament, and protests were held nationwide as Ms Mujinga’s death became associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Coroner’s investigation considered in detail whether the source of Ms Mujinga’s covid-19 infection could be traced either to this man or to her attendance at work more generally.
The incident involving the man was reported to police, and the family continue to pursue a complaint with the IOPC.
Ms Mujinga’s husband Lusamba and her daughter Ingrid told the inquest that ‘Belly will be missed every day, but her family hope she leaves behind a legacy of a person who fought for what was right, who was dedicated, loving, considerate and kind.’
The family were represented by 7BR members Elaine Banton and Rose Harvey-Sullivan. Elaine practises in employment and discrimination law. Rose practises in civil law with a specialism in inquests. You can find out more about their practices at the links on the right hand side of the page.
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