Update on Newham Council's internal investigation following the tragic death of 5 year old Aalim Makail Jibril at Jacobs House in Plaistow.
On 23 May, Newham Council announced the scope and terms of its internal investigation following the tragic death of 5 year old Aalim Makail Jibril at Jacobs House in Plaistow.
Newham residents have been united in grief since the distressing incident on 16 May. And for the past three weeks we have been providing close support to Aalim’s family. We have also been in dialogue with local community and faith groups, and both Newham’s elected Mayor and the Council’s Chief Executive have asked for regular updates on the situation.
Everyone affected has been profoundly traumatised by what has happened, and Council officers have been highly conscious of the need for answers, and for the full facts to be established. As such, Newham’s Internal Audit team, which is legally required to act independently, took on a thoroughgoing review of records and evidence relating to the family’s flat. This included the history of correspondence between the family and the Council, as well as all details relating to maintenance and repairs.
Those investigations have now been concluded.
As the timetable for the Coroner’s process has now been published, with a Pre-Inquest Meeting now scheduled for the 26th June 2024, we are unable at this stage to release our full report, mindful of not pre-empting and prejudicing the due process of that investigation.
We are however, as promised, providing our findings to Aalim’s family and would request that they are given the necessary space and time to digest the detail of what we have been able to establish.
We will continue our dialogue with regulatory and investigating authorities and pending those discussions will release further detail as soon as we are able to.