A five-year-old boy died after falling from a 15th-floor tower block window in Plaistow, east London, with an inquest ruling he had jumped believing he could fly.
Aalim Ahmed plunged to his death from a kitchen window on May 16, 2024. The window had become 'compromised' and could tilt and open, allowing the autistic boy to climb out. His father discovered his body shortly before 6 a.m.
The child's mother, Sahra Osman, had repeatedly reported safety concerns about the flat, including that the windows opened too wide and she lacked a key to lock them. She blamed Newham Council for her son's death, calling it preventable.
Contrasting accounts were presented at the inquest regarding the windows' condition. An engineer for Newham Council stated the windows were functioning during an inspection on December 17, 2023. However, Ms. Osman provided a history of complaints over several months detailing her fears about the windows.
Assistant Coroner Ian Wade stated at East London Coroner's Court that the windows "were not used appropriately." In a narrative conclusion, Mr. Wade determined that Aalim's autism diagnosis meant he was "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," Mr. Wade said. "He opened the window and in a naïve 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 did not find a basis for issuing a report to prevent future deaths, stating, "I find there was no compelling reason why a landlord should've considered that placing this little boy on the 15th floor was inappropriate." He added that the critical factor was the compromised state of the windows, not their height.
John Gray, cabinet member for housing at Newham Council, described the event as a "tragic accident which resulted in the heartbreaking death of a young five-year-old child." He expressed condolences to Aalim's family and gratitude to the coroner for his thorough hearing.