A toddler who 'was full of life and laughter' died after prolonged exposure to damp and mould at his Rochdale home, a coroner has ruled. Joanne Kearsley said the death of Awaab Ishak should be a 'defining moment' for the housing sector in how it deals an issue affecting homes across the country.
The toddler, from Rochdale, died aged two on December 21, 2020. Following six days of evidence at Rochdale Coroners Court, coroner Joanne Kearsley concluded today (November 15) that Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) - which owns and manages the Freehold estate where Awaab lived - should have carried out repairs on the property between July and December 2020 when it knew about the mould.
She also criticised the advice that was given to Awaab's father, Faisal Abdullah, when he first complained about the problem in autumn 2017 to 'paint over the mould'. Ms Kearsley also ruled that medical advice given to Awaab's family before the toddler's death meant he received 'sub-optimal' care that could not prevent his cardiac arrest, but she did not feel the actions of RBH or Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust amounted to 'neglect'.
