Manchester coroner considers bullying claims in death of Somali schoolgirl

Twelve-year-old Shukri Abdi drowned in June in the River Irwell in Bury, Lancashire

A coroner is considering claims that bullying and coercion played a role in the death of a 12-year-old girl who drowned in June.

Shukri Abdi, a 12-year-old Somali refugee, was found drowned in the River Irwell in Bury, Lancashire, on 28 June. Four other girls were with her at the river before her death.

At a preliminary inquest hearing on Monday in Manchester, the senior coroner, Joanne Kearsley, said she would consider whether the four were medically fit to give evidence by video link about the events leading up to Shukri’s death.

Kearsley is also considering whether claims that Shukri was a victim of bullying and coercion by the other girls will form part of the full inquest, which is scheduled to take place in February. She is due to make a ruling on the scope of the inquest in seven days’ time.

The girls cannot be named and were referred to in court as girl one, girl two, girl three and girl four. One of the girls is in the care of social services and is involved in family court proceedings.

Shukri came to the UK last year with her mother and siblings after they fled conflict in Somalia. Shukri was brought up in a refugee camp in Kenya and she and her family were brought to the UK as part of the vulnerable persons resettlement scheme. Only the most vulnerable individuals and families are accepted on to the scheme after vetting.

Shukri’s family’s barrister, Ashley Underwood QC, referred to a previous alleged incident of bullying, highlighted by Shukri’s mother, Zamzam Ture six months before she died, in which Ture said her daughter had been pushed on to the road by others.

The coroner said concerns had been raised about whether the four children would be fit enough, from a health perspective, to give evidence in court. She described the children as “properly interested persons” in the case. She said that if the girls did give evidence via video link all questions to them would need to be submitted to the court beforehand and put to them by her counsel, who would be with the girls.

Shukri’s friends and relatives have repeatedly claimed she was badly bullied at her school, Broad Oak sports college in Bury. The school subsequently closed and a new school, Hazel Wood high school, has opened on the site. Shukri’s family has accused the school of failing to take the bullying complaints seriously.

Shukri’s family previously told the Guardian she had helped look after her four younger siblings, supported her mother and dreamed of becoming a doctor.

An investigation has been launched by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into whether police had treated Shukri’s family “less favourably” because of their ethnic background. The IOPC is looking into allegations that officers failed to conduct an effective investigation and prematurely concluded that Shukri’s death was not suspicious.

An IOPC spokeswoman said the investigation was continuing.

Shukri’s family’s solicitor, Attiq Malik, of Liberty Law Solicitors, welcomed the coroner’s comments in Monday’s hearing.

“Initially we were concerned that this inquest was simply going to be a tick-box exercise,” he said. “The inquest was previously due to take place on 6 December for just a few hours. Now the inquest is likely to take place over two days next year with many witnesses.

“It’s a big step forward in finding out the truth about what happened to Shukri. We are not concerned about blame – just about knowing what really happened.”

Greater Manchester police have been approached for comment.