Being spat at ‘did not lead to death of ticket officer’

‘The police came and told me the CCTV does not prove anything. I am not sure how strong I am to hear that’

POLICE are to take no further action after a railway ticket officer who was spat at by a passenger died of coronavirus, it emerged yesterday.

British Transport Police (BTP) said it had conducted extensive inquiries into the death of Belly Mujinga in April, a few weeks after the confrontation at Victoria Station in London.

A 57-year-old man was interviewed by detectives, but the BTP said it did not believe the incident led to the death of Ms Mujinga, who left behind a husband and an 11-year-old daughter.

Last night, Lusamba Gode Katalay, Ms Mujinga’s widower, expressed frustration at the outcome.

“The police came and told me the CCTV does not prove anything,” he said. “I do not know how strong I am to hear that. It is very sad for us.”

Asked whether he felt he would be able to get justice for his wife, Mr Katalay added: “I need to speak more with my family first.”

The BTP said it had reviewed CCTV footage of the incident in March and spoken to key witnesses.

A statement said: “Senior detectives have concluded that there is no evidence to substantiate any criminal offences having taken place, and that the tragic death of Belly Mujinga was not a consequence of this incident.

“As a result, the matter will not be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service … no further action will be taken against a 57-year-old man from London who was interviewed in connection with this matter.”

Det Ch Insp Sam Blackburn said: “I know the loss of Belly has moved so many people, and I can assure you we have done everything we can to provide answers for her family … we can now be confident that this incident did not lead to Belly’s tragic death.”