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Awaab Ishak lived in a home where mould and damp was not treated and not prevented.
The little boy celebrated his second birthday on December 13, 2020.
Eight days later he was dead.
"I'm sure I am not alone in asking how does this happen? How in the UK does a two-year-old child die from exposure to mould in his home?” senior coroner Joanne Kearsley asked at the conclusion of an inquest today.
This case will have shocked anyone who read the details.
Awaab had been suffering with cold-like symptoms and was unable to breathe through his nose in the weeks before his death.
His dad, Faisal Abdullah, had been battling mould in their one-bedroom flat on Rochdale's Freehold estate, for more than three years by that point.
He was advised to 'paint over it'. An expert later described it as 'unfit for human habitation'.
Mr Abdullah complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) - which runs the flats - several times and asked to be moved to another property, to no avail.
Awaab, the inquest heard, died ‘as a result of a severe respiratory condition caused due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home environment’. Action to treat and prevent the mould was not taken and the child’s ‘severe respiratory condition’ led to respiratory arrest.
Further to this, communication problems between Awaab’s parents and healthcare workers meant they rushed him to Rochdale Urgent Care Centre on the day of his death.
He suffered a cardiac arrest as he was transferred to Royal Oldham Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
His devastated family lives with the heartbreaking knowledge that he could have survived.
Of course there were serious failings by RBH - though they did not amount to neglect.
Ms Kearsley has said damp and mould are ‘not simply a Rochdale problem’, or even just a social housing problem. It’s an issue that affects families across the UK.
Up and down Britain there are children and adults living in poorly ventilated, damp, mouldy homes they can ill-afford to fix.
Awaab’s death has to be a defining moment. It cannot be in vain.
Addressing Awaab’s mum Aisha Amin and dad Mr Abdullah at the inquest today, Ms Kearsley said: “I hope you know that Awaab will, I am sure, make a difference for other people.”
She will now write a report for the prevention of future deaths and will raise the issues with housing minister, Steve Barclay.
“The tragic death of Awaab will and should be a defining moment for the housing sector in terms of increasing knowledge, increasing awareness and a deepening of understanding surrounding the issue of damp and mould,” she said.
Awaab's family were initially blamed for the damp and mould problem - with an RHB disrepair report finding the majority of the mould was caused by ‘lifestyle and bathing habits’.
But this has been rejected by the coroner, who says the most likely cause of any damp or moisture was ‘more likely than not, due to normal daily living activities’.
"To be clear there is no evidence that the ways of living by the family were in any way excessive," she said.
In fact, RBH had a backlog of hundreds of complaints about mould at its properties.
And when reporter Stephen Topping - who has been following Awaab’s case for months - visited the Freehold estate last summer, he found a number of families dealing with damp and mould problems. Young families described having to make hospital visits because their children struggle to breathe.
Part way through the inquest, the housing association admitted that it could have done more to help the family.
It said it had taken on board comments made earlier in the inquest and accepted its approach had been 'inappropriate' and it should have taken responsibility for the mould issues and undertaken a ‘more proactive response’.
RBH chief executive Gareth Swarbrick says he is 'truly devastated' by Awaab's death and insisted the organisation will learn lessons from it.
It’s plain to see that this tragedy could have been prevented.
That’s why the Manchester Evening News is now campaigning for a change in law requiring social landlords to investigate causes of damp and mould within 14 days of them being reported.
As Awaab's health deteriorated, requests for a move from his family and a health visitor went unheeded. An 'Awaab's Law' would require bids for new homes in cases where there is an urgent risk to health, to be treated as a high priority.
It would also require social landlords to start repairs within seven days if a medical professional believes there is a risk to a tenant's health and to provide all tenants with information on their rights.
During the inquest, the coroner heard that RBH workers had assumed the family were taking on 'ritual bathing' which was leading to excess water.
Mr Abdullah - who came to the UK from Sudan as an asylum seeker in 2015 - today accused RBH of ‘racism’ and of housing people in homes ‘you know are unfit for human habitation’.
In a statement read outside the coroners’ court he said the family felt ‘trapped’ and their lives ‘changed forever’ when Awaab died.
“We shouted out as loudly as we could, but despite making all of those efforts, every night we would be coming back to the same problem. Nothing was changing,” he said in a statement read outside the court.
He added: "We have no doubt at all that we were treated this way because we are not from the country and less aware of how the systems in the UK work. RBH we have a message for you - stop discriminating, stop being racist, stop providing unfair treatment to people coming from abroad who are refugees or asylum seekers, stop housing people in homes you know are unfit for human habitation. We were left feeling absolutely worthless at the hands of RBH.
"We want to end by telling you who our beautiful Awaab was. He was always full of smiles, he liked to joke and was full of life and laughter. He used to enjoy playing on his bike and with his ball. He always wanted to be with us. His absence leaves a huge void."
The Manchester of 2022
At least three rough sleepers who visit a Manchester soup kitchen each day are said to be sleeping in their cars.
Two have jobs, but can't afford a deposit or find anywhere to live.
It’s a striking insight from Coffee4Craig CEO Hendrix Lancaster, who was speaking after a man was found dead inside a vehicle parked behind a car wash in Gorton.
"No one should find themselves in that situation and there shouldn't be circumstances that lead to them thinking that that is their only choice, especially in this day and age,“ Hendrix told reporter Chris Slater. "But unfortunately it is not unique. He is not the first homeless person to have been found dead."
Chris has been speaking to residents living close to where the sad discovery was made. They have expressed shock at the circumstances with one saying it's ‘disgusting’ that people have to live like that.
That’s a view shared by Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell, who said it is ‘heartbreaking that someone's life can end in such tragic circumstances in the Manchester of 2022’.
"Homelessness is a huge issue for the city, which gets harder and harder to deal with because of hits to the incomes of the poorest in society and cuts to the services which support them,” she said.
Police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the man’s death.
Cost of living payments for students
Students at The University of Manchester will receive up to £170 this winter to help them during the cost of living crisis.
The scheme - worth around £7m - will see full-time students getting £170 and part-time students £85, with all monies paid into their UK bank accounts. Bosses have also announced financial support for staff.
A university Cost of Living Support Fund already exists and bosses plan to introduce cheaper food options, free microwave and hot water facilities, free showers and free period products.
Library fines have been scrapped and free eBooks provided.
The Students' Union is also helping to provide free and discounted access to sports and recreation and has put on study nights with free food in a warm environment.
Was it too cold for Morrissey?
Morrissey walked off the stage just nine songs into a show in Los Angeles this week - after complaining he was cold.
Videos shared on social media show the 63-year-old complaining about the temperature during his set at the Greek Theatre on Saturday night.
After performing The Smiths classic 'Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before', he said: "As I think you know, it's extremely cold. Can you tell? I can. However, we will steam on, where to? Who knows."
He eventually left the stage after 'Girlfriend in a Coma' with a band member telling the audience that the show had ended.
The Greek Theatre website states the concert ‘has been postponed to a TBD date’.
Weather etc
- Wednesday: Cloudy changing to sunny intervals in the afternoon. 10C.
- Trams: Revised service on Manchester Metrolink due to over running engineering works at Piccadilly Gardens. Some Metrolink services are operating with changes until the end of November when the works can be finished.
- Trains: Special timetable operating on Transpennine Express due to shortage of train crews. Passengers are advised to check their journey if travelling.
Manchester headlines
£8m a week: Rail cancellations and delays being made by train operators serving Greater Manchester passengers are costing the economy of the north around £8m a week. The figures, for Northern and TransPennine Express, do not cover Avanti West Coast, which has been under-fire for cuts made to train services between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston. ‘Decisionmakers’ in London have been accused of not fully understanding the current level of rail disruption hitting Greater Manchester and the north, by David Hoggarth, strategic rail director of Transport for the North. His report, presented to a meeting of the Rail North Committee, claims there is a 'tacit acceptance of poor performance in the north in a way which would not be tolerated in London and the south east'.
Byelection: A by-election to replace Stretford and Urmston MP Kate Green could be held on December 15, according to established protocols. The Labour MP formally resigned last Thursday after she was announced as Andy Burnham's preferred choice for the role of the deputy mayor of Greater Manchester. She is set to replace Baroness Bev Hughes, who will be stepping down in the new year after five years in the post.
Possible strike: Drivers at the Warburton's bakery in Bolton have voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions. Members of the United Road Transport Union (URTU) were balloted on industrial action with 68 per cent voting in favour. No strike action has been planned as yet and it's understood talks between union officials and bosses will now continue. Warburtons described the results of the ballot as 'incredibly disappointing' and vowed it would do 'everything we can' to ensure supermarket shelves remain stocked.
Stretford masterplan: A multi-million pound transformation of Stretford town centre, aimed at boosting businesses and creating a 'thriving high street environment', has been given the go-ahead. Trafford Council and Bruntwood have been given approval for plans to redevelop King Street as part of the wider Stretford Masterplan. They include pedestrianised streets, more greenery and open spaces, as well as a reconfigured town centre.
At the pictures
Nostalgia writer Jess Molyneux has been looking back on the last days of Manchester’s iconic Odeon cinema, on Oxford Road.
Originally built in 1930, it was opened by Paramount Pictures as a single screen cinema which could hold up to 3,000 people.
It closed in 2004 and was demolished to make way for a new 14-storey office block, in 2017.
These images show the last days of the Odeon as the diggers moved it.
Worth a read
Did you realise that Manchester’s most secretive building sits next to a Chinese restaurant, above a Greggs? Probably not, unless you have special clearance to visit the offices of signals intelligence agency GCHQ.
Hundreds of spies work at Heron House. This week, reporter Damon Wilkinson was given access inside the building to report on GCHQ's move to our city.
As he reports, the move signalled a change towards more openness and increased collaboration with universities and private industry as the intelligence community acknowledged the need to stay at the cutting edge of a new age of digital espionage.
The central location on Albert Square is symbolic of this shift in culture with the agency now able to host things like school visits, meetings and even yoga classes.
But some old habits die hard. While a quick Google search will give you GCHQ's Manchester address, there's no signs outside advertising their presence.
Though many staff from GCHQ's headquarters in Cheltenham initially made the move to Manchester, they're being steadily joined by new starters from across the north.
And as part of that move schools in areas of 'untapped talent' in all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester have been invited in to spread awareness of the agency among communities that might not have even heard of it.
You can read the fascinating feature here.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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