A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy who fell to his death from an allegedly faulty 15th floor kitchen window “believed he could fly”, an inquest has heard.
Aalim Ahmed died instantly after falling from the residential block in Plaistow, East London.
A boy fell to his death from an allegedly faulty 15th floor kitchen window in May 2024 Credit: PA
Aalim Ahmed died instantly after falling from a residential block in East London Credit: Kevin Dunnett
His distraught father Makail Ahmed rushed from the top-floor flat and discovered the youngster’s body shortly before 6am on May 16 2024.
Aalim’s mother, Sahra Osman, described their son’s death as “preventable” and blasted Newham Council, claiming she had reported safety concerns about the top-floor flat in Jacobs House on multiple occasions.
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But contrasting accounts about the condition of the windows were heard at the inquest into the boy’s death.
The inquest heard that an engineer sent by Newham Council to carry out an inspection in December 2023 said they were functioning when he saw them.
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Aalim’s mother, Sahra Osman, said her son’s death was ‘preventable’ and blasted the local council Credit: PA
Floral tributes were left outside the block of flats Credit: Kevin Dunnett
In contrast, Ms Osman had a list of complaints spanning several months which included her fears the windows were opening too wide and she did not have a key.
She told the court how she was “scared” and “horrified” when the council put her young family in the flat, which needed repairs, saying Aalim was autistic with “no sense of danger”.
Assistant coroner Ian Wade, sitting at East London Coroner’s Court, said the windows “were not used appropriately”.
He delivered a narrative conclusion on Monday, in which he said: “Aalim was an active five-year-old boy who suffered from a diagnosed condition called autism, such as to render him incapable of making reliable judgments about his personal safety and abilities.
“In the early hours of May 16 2024, he awoke and went from his bedroom to the kitchen, he climbed onto a chair and then onto the windowsill of an insecure double turn and tilt window.
“He opened the window and in a naive belief that he could fly or alternatively could come to no harm he leapt from the open window… he died at the scene.”
Mr Wade added that while the window had “become compromised”, he believed there was “no compelling reason a landlord should’ve considered that placing this little boy on the 15th floor was inappropriate”.
The court previously heard a young child’s voice is twice heard counting down “three, two, one” followed a few seconds later by “a loud clang” was captured on grainy audio, which was taken from CCTV outside the apartment block.
Detective Constable Joe Linton previously said “it is most likely from the footage available” that Aalim had “jumped out” of the flat at the building in New City Road “of his own accord without the presence of a third party”.
Ms Osman denied any suggestion she may have “forced” the window open to cope in hot weather.
She said Aalim could have been reaching for a biscuit when he fell and that her ongoing complaints to fix “faulty” restrictors – a type of safety device – only led to a series of workmen who did not sort the problem.
Window engineer Charlie Mann said the windows were “all working”, including the handles and restrictors, when he tested them in December 2023.
Having spoken to the mother, who said her son had autism, he decided the restrictors should be changed to a lockable version rather than one that can be worked by a button.
He ordered nine restrictors and contractors came to fix them in January 2024.
Charlie Mann’s father, James Mann, who is managing director of ABC Ltd the firm where the window engineer works, watched videos of police operating the window from which Aalim fell.
In the video, the court saw that the restrictor did not engage every time the police officer tested the window.
He said that “there needs to be an adjustment, something is not quite right” but he added he needed to see more of the window to have a clearer idea of the problem.
Detective Inspector Jamie Humm, who investigated the incident, said there was “no evidence or suspicion he (Aalim) had been forced”.
“The flat was well furnished and it was clearly a loving environment for a child,” he noted.
He added that soon after arriving at the scene he was satisfied “there was no evidence of a crime, not that I thought there would be”.
John Gray, cabinet member for housing, Newham Council, said: “This was a tragic accident which resulted in the heartbreaking death of a young five-year-old child.
“Our thoughts continue to be with Aalim’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.
“We are grateful to the coroner Ian Wade KC for his thorough and fair hearing of the facts of this case, which have at times been very difficult to hear and revisit.”
