Family react after inquest into boy's window jump

The parents of a five-year-old boy who died after jumping from a 15th-floor tower block window in east London say they hope other families can be spared the "devastation" they have faced.

Aalim Ahmed died instantly when he fell from a kitchen window, which could tilt and turn, at a residential block in Plaistow on 16 May 2024.

His parents Makail Ahmed and Sahra Osman have responded after a narrative conclusion was delivered at their son's inquest on Monday.

The coroner said Aalim possibly leapt in the belief he could fly, and while the window was "compromised", there was "no compelling reason" a landlord should have deemed placing him on the 15th floor inappropriate.

In a statement, Aalim's parents recalled moving into their top-floor temporary social housing flat with no water or electricity and raising concerns about the windows, which they feared could open too widely with minimal effort.

"We were terrified about what this could mean for Aalim," they said.

They said their loss "is a pain that no parent should ever have to know".

"Our only ask now is that no other family has to go through the devastation that we have. We did everything we felt we could to protect our son, and we will always believe that Aalim should still be here," they added.

Assistant coroner Ian Wade had said Aalim, who was autistic and had no sense of danger, "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 added: "It wasn't the fact that it was the 15th floor that was significant, what was significant was that the windows had become compromised."

The inquest heard that an engineer sent by Newham Council in December 2023 to carry out an inspection and look at overhauling the windows and handles had found they were functioning when he saw them.

However, the boy's mother had a list of complaints spanning several months that included her fears the windows were opening too widely and she did not have a key, the court was told.

She previously said she was "horrified" when Newham Council put them in the top-floor flat, which needed repairs, and said the authority "could have prevented this tragic thing from happening".

The council was exonerated from culpability by the inquest.

After Monday's hearing John Gray, cabinet member for housing at 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."

Newham Council has been contacted for further comment.

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