Friday June 12, 2020
By EWAN SOMERVILLE
The girl drowned in the River Irwell near Manchester ( Google StreetView )
There was an outpouring of grief when Shukri Yayhe-Abdi died in June last year.
The 12-year-old, who lived in Bury, Greater Manchester, was last seen near the River Irwell which runs through the town.
The inquest into her death was adjourned but now Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has said he will “look into the case”.
Here we ask what we know about Shukri and the case so far.
Who was Shukri Yayhe-Abdi?
Shukri, from Somalia, grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp between 2000 and 2017 before moving to the UK, the inquest into her death heard.
She settled in Bury along with her mother and siblings through the vulnerable person’s resettlement scheme.
Paying tribute after her death, her uncle, Mustaf Omar, said: "She was a sweet, innocent child. Her mum is absolutely destroyed.
"Everything about it is out of character for her. She couldn't swim so she wouldn't even go near the edge."
What happened to Shukri Yayhe-Abdi?
Shukri Abdi was last seen in the River Irwell, off Dunster Road, Bury, at 7.55pm on June 27 last year.
Parts of the river are 6 metres (20 foot) deep.
Her mother Zam Zam Ture told the inquest at The Old Police Station, Heywood, in February that she believed her daughter was with two girls who were not her friends.
In the hours prior to her death, Child One and Child Two - who cannot be named for legal reasons - were stopped at a local Primark by a security guard, who told the inquest the girls “acted giggly” and “looked friendly”.
The inquest was also told that Child One, who was at the river with Shukri, had confessed to threatening to kill Shukri before her death.
Child One told her foster carer that she had said "if you don't get in the water I'm going to kill you" but said the comment was made in a "laughing and joking manner".
"After coming all this way she wanted everyone to get into the water," the foster carer added.
Shukri’s mother told the inquest that her daufhter was “scared” of water and could not swim.
Two passers-by were praised by senior coroner Joanne Kearsley for their attempts to save the girl.
"I was just thinking about that child in the river," Steven Duckworth told the inquest. "All we wanted was to save that little girl."
What is the latest update?
Greater Manchester Police said Shukri’s death was an “incredibly tragic accident” and that there were no suspicious circumstances.
The girl’s loved ones do not believe the death was an accident and have raised concerns about the police investigation.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last August that it would investigate GMP’s handling of the case, which was completed earlier this year.
The results were shared with Shukri’s family and the force and will be published following the inquest, IOPC regional director Amanda Rowe said.
Mr Burnham told BBC Asian Network on Monday, June 8, that he had received around 6,000 emails about the case.
"Clearly it's unresolved [be]cause of the nature of the level of concern," he said on the Big Debate.
"So what I can say... I will look into the case again and I will consider the call for a further investigation into it."
A petition calling for “justice for Shukri” has amassed more than 860,000 signatures, with Star Wars actor John Boyega among those urging people to sign it.
The next date for Shukri’s inquest is yet to be confirmed.