An inquest into the death of a five-year-old boy who fell from a 15th-floor window has learned that, surprise surprise, more safety measures could have been in place.

Aalim Ahmed, who was autistic, died after falling from a kitchen window at a residential block in Plaistow, east London. His father, Makail Ahmed, rushed from the top-floor temporary social housing flat and found his body just before 6am on 16 May 2024. The family had a long history of complaints about the council accommodation and had asked to be moved - because who wouldn't want to live in a place where your child can open a window and fall to their death?

East London coroner's court heard that Newham council property manager Nnenna Muoma thought 'more restricted features could have been installed' after visiting the Ahmed family on the afternoon he died. In a note to the council, she wrote: 'Following the horrible incident and fatality, I visited the family yesterday. The kitchen window from where the child fell off is functional but can be operated by a child, hence the incident. There is [a] restricted feature to allow a limited opening. More restricted features could have been installed to reduce this risk.'

Muoma told the court: 'That was my personal thought. I have seen other households with children with special needs with different gadgets which can be done to make it safer.' She admitted she was not an expert and didn't know the window restrictors could be locked - because why would a property manager know how to secure windows in a top-floor flat housing a child with no sense of danger?

Aalim's parents, Makail Ahmed and Sahra Osman, have called the death 'preventable' and blamed Newham council, saying safety concerns were reported multiple times. A postmortem found Aalim died from 'multiple injuries due to or as a consequence of trauma' from a 'fall from height'.

Osman told the court she was 'scared' and 'horrified' when the council placed them in the top-floor flat, which needed repairs, because her son had 'no sense of danger'. She felt the property was unsuitable for her family, which included a newborn girl, but took it to avoid homelessness. On the day Aalim died, Osman was sitting on a bed with her arms wrapped around herself when Muoma saw her. One of the first things Osman said was: 'I asked to be moved and nobody listened to me.'

Muoma told the court: 'I said I do not have that information but I am sorry. We want to assist you and if [you] cannot stay overnight I can find you a place to stay.' She tried the window twice and managed to open it on the second attempt, though she couldn't remember exactly how. She may have pressed a button, but didn't provide details about the restrictor or handle position. She took a photo of the open position to show her manager how far it opened - because a photo sure beats actually fixing the problem.

Newham council said it would not comment until after the inquest concluded, presumably to craft a statement that carefully avoids saying 'our bad.'