One out of the four classmates who were with Shukri Abdi in her final moments stated during an inquest on Wednesday 25^th November that she “accidentally” pushed Shukri into deeper water before she died of drowning.

The classmate, who for legal reasons is referred to as Child One, told police that she pushed Shukri in order to save herself, as they were all in the water together when Shukri drowned.

The suspicious nature of Shukri’s death has led to widespread anger from people across the world.

On the 27th of June 2019, Shukri Abdi’s lifeless body was found in the River Irwell in Bury, Lancashire. Her body was said to have had bite and scratch marks. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service stated that Shukri was playing with multiple other children at the time of her death. They claim that the classmates alerted the authorities when they realized that she went missing.

Gillian Fenton, a paramedic with North West ambulance service, told the inquest that no one appeared to be wet when she arrived at the scene.

At the time, the Greater Manchester Police concluded that Shukri’s death was an accident before gathering any concrete evidence. Following reports from classmates and family members, it became evident that Shukri was a victim of bullying, which led to pressure from the community to find answers on what really happened. Mustafa Omar Mohamed, Shukri’s cousin, confirmed the bullying allegations by stating that “we know that Shukri was being bullied. The school knows Shukri was being bullied, they’ve got records of that.” in an interview with 5Pillars.

During the inquest, Detective Inspector Andrew Naismith of Greater Manchester Police, stated that “There was nothing either of a criminal nature or anything untoward that happened to Shukri when she entered the water.”

The inquest continues.