Last year, a man spat in railway ticket officer Belly Mujinga's face in London's Victoria train station. She developed Covid and died of the disease two weeks later. British Transport Police declined to charge the white 57 year-old suspect and is now protecting him from private prosecution or civil lawsuit, claiming that to reveal his identity to Mujinga's family or their lawyers would compromise the man's rights.
"We want to sue for assault and harassment," he told The Telegraph. He added they also have not ruled out the possibility of private prosecution against the individual. … A BTP spokesperson said: "As a police force we have to consider the safety and security of the individual concerned, as well as the Data Protection Act which restricts the sharing of personal data gathered as part of a criminal investigation."
Mujinga's own employer likewise stonewalled inquiries, BBC Panorama earlier reported. The stonewalling makes it legally difficult to connect the spitting incident with Mujinga's infection and death. Both her employer and British Transport Police have many questions to answer and may be responsible for failing to protect her. A public inquest into Mujinga's death is being considered.
Last week, the British government released a report claiming there was no institutional racism in the UK, but it soon emerged that many of the experts cited as participants had not even been contacted.
