Boy who died in fall from attic window was unaware of risks

HAMID WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD AND AUTISM AT TWO YEARS OLD

- By RUCSANDRA MOLDOVEANU

Police outside the home in Costock Avenue, Sherwood, after the death of eight-year-old Hamid Balal

A NOTTINGHAM boy with ADHD and autism who fell to his death from a window in his family home was "unaware of risks and dangers around him".

Eight-year-old Hamid Ali Balal, who was diagnosed with ADHD and autism when he was two, died after falling from the attic window of his family home in Costock Avenue, Sherwood, on September 18, just before 7pm.

After falling from the third-storey room, paramedics performed CPR on Hamid and he was taken by ambulance to Queen's Medical Centre (QMC), where he was pronounced dead at 8.07pm.

An inquest held into Hamid's death by coroner Sarah Wood at Nottingham Coroner's Court on yesterday heard that the boy died from a "catastrophic" head injury.

Hamid, who was nonverbal, was described in court as a bright, clever boy who was deeply loved by his family.

Detective Constable Leanne Parkin, of Nottinghamshire Police, told the coroner that the attic door would be locked by the family to prevent Hamid from going there on his own.

However, the eight-year-old would pile up blankets and climb them to reach the lock and gain access to the bedroom, which was used by two of Hamid's siblings.