CORONER CONCLUDES FIVE-YEAR-OLD DIED AFTER LEAPING FROM 15TH-FLOOR WINDOW

A coroner has concluded that Aalim Ahmed, aged five, died after jumping from a kitchen window on the 15th floor of a residential tower block in Plaistow, east London, on 16 May 2024. Assistant coroner Ian Wade delivered a narrative conclusion at an inquest at East London Coroner's Court, stating that the boy leapt from the window in the belief he could fly, a decision the coroner attributed to the boy's autism and his inability to assess risk. The window was a double turn and tilt design that could be opened. The boy fell instantly from the window and died.

The inquest heard conflicting accounts regarding the condition of the windows. An engineer sent by Newham Council in December 2023 to inspect and overhaul the windows and handles found they were functioning properly at that time. The boy's mother, Sahra Osman, had made complaints over several months, stating that the windows opened too wide and that she did not have a key to control them. She previously said she was "horrified" when the council placed the family in the top-floor flat, which required repairs, and stated the authority "could have prevented this tragic thing from happening".

The assistant coroner found that whilst the window was "compromised", there was "no compelling reason why a landlord should've considered that placing this little boy on the 15th floor was inappropriate". The coroner added that the windows "were not used appropriately". Newham Council was exonerated from culpability by the inquest.