Akram Mohammed death was not caused by mouldy flat, coroner finds

A baby who lived in a mouldy housing association flat in north London died of unrelated causes, a coroner has found.

Akram Mohammed died in February aged 15 weeks, which his parents believed was due to damp conditions in their Camden home.

Earlier this year, the boy’s death sparked angry protests aimed at housing association Notting Hill Genesis, over the state of the family’s flat and failure to rectify it.

Assistant coroner Edwin Buckett acknowledged their home was damp and mouldy, but concluded that Akram actually died of Strep B, pneumonia and Vitamin D deficiency.

In evidence given to the hearing at St Pancras Coroner’s Court last week, a pathologist said that the fungal growths in Akram’s lungs did not match the mould found in the family’s home.

The court heard the baby’s mother Aiat Mohammed had herself contracted Group B Streptococcus, known as Strep B, before Akram was born and as it had not been treated, the infection was passed to him. The bacteria affects about 500 newborns in the UK every year.

Outside the court on Monday, Akram’s father Abdushafi Mohammed told the BBC he accepted the coroner’s findings.

In a statement, Patrick Franco, chief executive of Notting Hill Genesis, said: “Our hearts go out to Mr and Mrs Mohammed on the devastating loss of baby Akram.

“Our commitment remains to provide all the support we can to the family and find them a permanent home that meets their needs now and into the future.”