Inside mouldy flat where boy, 2, with breathing difficulties lived in ‘disgusting’ conditions before tragic death
SHOCKING images have been released showing the “disgusting” conditions of a mouldy flat which allegedly contributed to the death of a two-year-old boy.
Little Awaab Isha passed away in December 2020 after it was reported that damp and mould in his home had severely affected his health.
The young boy's family had been complaining about the condition of their property in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, even before the tot was born.
And a pre-inquest review revealed Awaab's death was linked to the conditions he was living in.
Awaab was admitted to Royal Oldham Hospital with breathing difficulties before being pronounced dead shortly after.
According to the , father Faisal Abdullah first moved to the flat in 2016, before his wife moved in two years later.
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And from the beginning of their tenancy they had mould concerns even filing a disrepair claim and trying to move home.
This week, as a coroners court began an inquest into the tot’s death, it was revealed Faisal Abdullah had first noted mould in his kitchen in autumn 2017.
The court heard he was told at the time to “paint over it” by a member of staff at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), who manage the estate, only for it to return a year later before Awaab's premature birth in December 2018.
Mr Abdullah had reportedly first applied for a new home for his family in May 2019, before later making further bids for housing as the damp became “really bad.”
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According to records obtained by the court, Awaab had a history of blocked nose and coughing on several occasions in his young life and by the autumn of 2020 – almost two years after his birth - he had was struggling to breathe.
At the time, Awaab's mother allegedly described telling health visitors about the damp and mould as her son's symptoms began to worsen.
She reportedly claimed that a yellow liquid was leaking into the kitchen, adding that the damp was also having an effect on her.
"When anyone came to the flat they said it was disgusting and I felt sad about it," she said.
"I would rather visit my friends than have people visit the flat."
Shortly after Awaab’s death, Greater Manchester Police attended the property and took photos from the scene.
The grim images, which were released by Rochdale Coroners Court on Friday, showed thick black mould in areas of the kitchen and bathroom of the property.
Other images also showed vast swathes of damp caped across the walls and ceilings.
In a court during the summer this year, RBH initially said the damp posed no risk to health.
However, a pathologist said Awaab's death - which was a week after his second birthday - was linked to "environmental lung exposure".
While a report carried out by Rochdale Council after the tragedy found he had suffered "category one" harm - or extreme harm - due to mould and damp.
But, an independent housing regulator ombudsman told the coroners court yesterday that it was “too simplistic” for associations to blame tenants for damp and mould at their homes.
He suggested the damp was a “symptom” of other long-standing issues with housing before insisting that social landlords should be more “proactive” about tackling the problem.
Discussing a report that was released last year he said: "The report acknowledges there may be factors like fuel poverty, age and design of homes, which may make the risk of damp and mould greater.
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"Our report was to say that those are known risks and therefore it's important for them to think about their approach to make sure they address those known challenges."
The inquest is set to continue for another eight days.
