Newham Council placed family in unsafe Plaistow tower block despite safety warnings

Newham Council placed a family in a 15th-floor flat in Jacobs House, Plaistow, despite the mother’s warnings that window restrictors were broken and unsafe for her children. Aalim Ahmed, five, fell from the kitchen window on 16 May 2024 and died at the scene. His mother, Sahra Osman, told an inquest the council ignored her repeated reports and did not treat the issue as an emergency.

Mother warned council about safety risks for over a year

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Osman moved into the top-floor flat in February 2023 while pregnant. She told East London Coroner’s Court she felt pressured to accept the property or risk homelessness. The flat required repairs, and she immediately raised concerns about open windows and faulty restrictors. She said she was advised to move in first and complain later.

The court heard Osman contacted the council multiple times about the restrictors. She sent an email in 2023 disclosing her son’s autism diagnosis, which she said should have triggered extra safety measures. Aalim had no sense of danger, she said. Workmen visited the flat but did not fix the restrictors, which Osman described as present only for decoration.

If you had done your job, he could have been here. I think that Newham Council failed me as a mum, as a tenant.

Sahra Osman, mother of Aalim Ahmed

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Council disputes which windows were reported faulty

Newham Council told the inquest its engineer was not informed of problems with the kitchen window restrictor. The council said it knew only of issues in the living room. Osman rejected this, saying she had reported faults in every room. She said the restrictors were loose and could be removed by hand, leaving windows fully open.

Osman denied suggestions she had forced the window open to cool the flat. She said all windows were kept closed at night. On the morning of 16 May, she woke to her partner’s screams after he found Aalim’s body on a railing below. Neighbours called emergency services, but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Inquest continues, no verdict yet

Assistant coroner Ian Wade opened the hearing by acknowledging the family’s loss. He said the court would examine how the fall happened. Newham Council has declined to comment until the inquest concludes. No date has been set for a final verdict or any safety recommendations.