A coroner has apologised to the household of railway station employee Stomach Mujinga for the size of time it has taken for her inquest to be held.
Andrew Walker, a north London coroner, made the comment on the finish of one other administrative listening to forward of the inquest, a date for which has not but been set.
Mrs Mujinga, 47, died on April 5 2020 with coronavirus after she was reportedly coughed on and spat at days earlier by a buyer at London’s Victoria station.
Mr Walker informed the coroner’s courtroom in Excessive Barnet on Friday afternoon: ‘My deepest sympathies to the household, and my apologies for the delay on this matter.’
He added: ‘It’s going to progress, and it’ll progress swiftly.’
British Transport Police interviewed a 57-year-old man over the incident however stated there was not sufficient proof {that a} crime had taken place.
Stomach Mujinga, pictured along with her husband Lusamba Katalay, who died with Covid-19 after allegedly being spat at whereas on responsibility
Mrs Mujinga, 47, died in April final 12 months with the virus after she claimed to have been coughed on days earlier by a buyer
There have been two different staff who turned unwell whereas working on the station, one who died from a Covid an infection and one other who turned unwell with Covid-19-like signs.
Mrs Mujinga was initially from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the place she was the primary feminine sports activities journalist to work for the nationwide broadcaster RTNC, her household stated.
She moved to the UK in 2000.
Mrs Mujinga was working as a gross sales clerk on the time of the confrontation on the station concourse on March 21 and died on April 5 after contracting Covid-19.
Her husband, Lusamba Gode Katalay, and daughter Ingrid had been two of solely 10 individuals permitted at her funeral as a consequence of coronavirus restrictions in place on the time.
Her loss of life prompted an outpouring of grief and demand for solutions.
Boris Johnson additionally raised the incident within the Home of Commons, telling Prime Minister’s Questions: ‘The truth that she was abused for doing her job is completely appalling.’
Mrs Mujinga was working as a gross sales clerk on the time of the confrontation on the London Victoria concourse (file picture)
An extra pre-inquest evaluate will likely be held on January 25, at which an professional is predicted to be assigned to analyze the potential causes of Mrs Mujinga’s Covid an infection.
Mr Walker beforehand informed a preliminary listening to at Barnet Coroner’s Court docket that ‘causation’ can be a place to begin in serving to to plot what areas could should be lined on the inquest into Mrs Mujinga’s loss of life.
The North London coroner stated that an professional can be wanted to cope with the potential causes of the Covid an infection that led to Mrs Mujinga’s loss of life within the first part of his ‘step-by-step’ method to organising the inquest.
The professional, might be a specialist in respiratory medication, public well being or an space that straddles each disciplines.
The quantity of site visitors and passengers going via the station might be an space that’s helpful for the listening to, and the courtroom would search to seek out any CCTV footage of the scene.