ONE YEAR after the tragic death of transport worker Belly Mujinga, a Labour MP says there are still key questions to be answered.

More than two million people have signed a petition calling for Justice for Belly Mujinga. Now, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who represents Streatham has called for an inquest and a full public inquiry into the transport worker’s death.

At the moment, a coroner will decide whether or not an inquest will take place, depending on the evidence.

The questions that must still be answered about Mujinga’s death, according to MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy are outlined below.

• Why was Belly sent out to work on the station concourse at all, given her underlying respiratory condition (sarcoidosis)?
• Why was she working without protective, personal equipment?
• Why did it take a doctor’s phone call for her employer to let her shield?
• Why were Belly and her colleague sent back out onto the station concourse in the aftermath of the assault in spite of their objections?
• Why did Belly’s employer, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) , fail to report the incident when it first took place?
• Belly had issued a complaint of racism against her supervisor on 10 February 2020 which remained unaddressed by GTR at the time of the assault (21st March 2020). Can we conclusively say that workplace discrimination did not play a part in her death?
• Belly was not on the rota to work outside on the concourse that day. Why she sent out into contact with the general public, especially given her underlying medical condition and was she ordered to do so?
• Why did Belly’s employer (GTR) fail to provide frontline staff with masks & PPE at the time, even going so far as to forbid them from wearing their own?
• Why was Belly’s employer (GTR) giving out medical advice that staff could have up to 15 minutes of contact with COVID-19 victims without being at risk of infection?
• The police investigation found that the man in question could not have infected Belly because he had had an antibody test (which were highly unreliable at the time). Did the police consult a scientific expert on the reliability of such tests?
• GTR asked Network Rail for the CCTV footage in April 2020. But why did they fail to inform Network Rail that an alleged assault had occurred at the time of asking?
• Victoria Station ticket office (where Belly worked) was subsequently closed on health & safety grounds after inspection by Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and/or Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found it unfit to work in. It still appears to be closed today. What bearing did this have on Belly’s case?
• Why did her employer (GTR) produce two different versions of its internal investigation findings – with only one showing that Belly’s condition had led to throat surgery and required regular medical check-ups?

Following Mujinga’s passing, GTR did an internal investigation, in which some of these questions are answered. Key questions that have not been directly answered are whether workplace discrimination played a role and why Mujinga’s employer advised that staff could have up to 15 minutes of contact with COVID-19 victims without risking infection.

GTR claim that at the time of the incident, neither Belly nor any of her colleagues made any complaints of being spat at, though her friend Motolani Sunmola claimed otherwise in an interview with the BBC.

They claim this is why they did not report the incident to the British Transport Police.

The company also claims that her condition was not on the government’s vulnerable list, but as soon as a consultant said Belly should shield, her managers authorised this.

They also say that as soon as the government advised people to use protective personal equipment on public transport, this was provided for staff.

Govia Thameslink Railway’s CEO said: “Belly’s story continues to move us all, and we are heartbroken by her loss. At work, she was a dedicated and valued colleague and as a member of society, she sought to help those most in need.

“This has been an incredibly difficult period for Belly’s husband and young daughter. In talking to them we learned that we should have supported them better. For this reason, a key outcome of our internal investigation is to improve the support we give to families of an employee who has passed away. Additionally, we are creating a task force to review our approach to employee health across the business.”

You can read the full GTR investigation into Mujinga’s death here.

The British Transport Police is not making further comment on this case at this time.

However, in the past they have pointed out that have said: “While the man was able to share a negative anti body test with officers, substantiated by his GP, it is important to be clear that this was not the basis of our conclusion.

“The test did not change the fact there was insufficient evidence to substantiate any criminal offences taking place, and without it we are confident the conclusion of the investigation would have been the same.”