The mother of a five-year-old boy who died after falling from a 15th-floor flat in east London has told an inquest that his death was 'preventable', saying he 'could have been here' if the council had acted on her safety concerns.
Boy fell from kitchen window
Aalim Ahmed died after falling from the kitchen window of his family's home at Jacobs House in Plaistow on May 16 2024. His father found him on a railing below the block shortly before 6am.
His mother, Sahra Osman, told Walthamstow Coroner's Court she had repeatedly raised concerns with Newham Council about the safety of the windows before her son's death. She said Aalim had autism and 'no sense of danger', and believed he may have climbed up while trying to reach a biscuit from a cupboard. Ms Osman claimed the safety restrictors on the windows did not work properly and that repeated visits by workmen failed to resolve the problem.
Mother's evidence
Giving evidence, she became emotional and said: 'I did everything I could as a mum to protect my son.' The family had moved into the top-floor property in February 2023, when Ms Osman was heavily pregnant with a daughter. She told the court she had felt 'scared' and 'horrified' about moving into the flat, which needed repairs, and did not believe it was suitable for her family.
She said she had been advised to accept the property and raise her concerns afterwards rather than risk becoming homeless by refusing it. Ms Osman said she continued raising concerns about the windows after moving in. The court heard she had also informed the council of Aalim's autism diagnosis by email, and believed she had sent a further letter about his condition. People who knew Aalim had also sent a letter to the council saying the family needed to be moved because they were not safe, the inquest heard.
Council accused of ignoring concerns
Ms Osman told Sandesh Singh, representing Newham Council: 'You guys could have prevented this tragic thing from happening. If you had done your job, he could have been here.'
'I think that Newham Council failed me as a mum, as a tenant. I tried everything. I tried to tell them my concerns about safety multiple times and you guys ignored me rather than doing anything about the actual issues.'
She added: 'I told you my son (Aalim) has autism. I do not know what more I can prove. I showed you a GP letter. The people that knew him sent a letter to the council saying this family need to be moved from this flat because they are not safe.'
Engineer visit in January 2024
The inquest heard that an engineer visited the property in January 2024. Ms Osman said she tried the windows during the visit and was still able to open them. She wanted restrictors fitted to every window and said one bedroom window could be left 'just open wide', which left her feeling 'quite scared'.
The engineer said he would look into getting the problem fixed, but Ms Osman said that within a day she found a window restrictor on the floor. She contacted the council again and said she begged for help and asked to speak to a manager, telling the inquest: 'The window was wide open, it would not lock, it was hanging.'
Ms Osman said she made clear that she believed the problem posed a danger to her children, but claimed it was not treated as an emergency. She told the hearing: 'The restrictors were not working, they were there for decoration.'
Dispute over concerns raised
Ms Osman also said she became frustrated as it could take months to receive a proper response from the council. During questioning, the council suggested an engineer had been told about an issue in the living room but not with the kitchen window restrictor. Ms Osman disputed this and maintained she had raised concerns about windows throughout the property, accusing the council of 'not taking my situation seriously enough'.
She also rejected a suggestion that she may have forced a window open during hot weather. Ms Osman said all the windows were always closed before the family went to bed. On the morning Aalim died, her toddler began shouting 'Aalim', 'window' and 'outside', alerting the family that something was wrong.
Ms Osman said her partner went to the kitchen window and was 'just crying and screaming in shock' after seeing his son's pyjamas below. Aalim's father, Makail Ahmed, described the moment as one of 'disbelief – it was a nightmare.' He ran downstairs and found his son, while neighbours who had been woken by the noise called 999.
Inquest continues
The inquest has previously heard that Aalim was identified by his family and that his cause of death was multiple injuries caused by trauma from a 'fall from height'. Assistant coroner Ian Wade said at the start of proceedings: 'One of the things I bear in mind is the horrendous loss borne by Aalim's family and indeed the community. I am very conscious that this should never have happened but how it happened remains to be seen.' The hearing continues.
