My name is Gareth Naylor.  I am an Inquest Lawyer at Ison Harrison Solicitors in Leeds.  

I represent bereaved families at Inquest and fight for accountability, justice and change to prevent future deaths.

On the 21 June 2023 I received a call from our receptionist notifying me that there was a lady in reception, she was crying and saying that her baby boy has died.

Shocked and concerned, I rushed down to reception where I met Mrs Berihew.  I made her drink and held her hand as she described to me the circumstances that had led to the death of her almost 2-year-old little boy, Exodus.

She was heartbroken and her eyes flooded with tears as she recounted the events.  Mrs Berihew lived in a high-rise tower block at Saville Green with her two sons and daughter.  She was concerned about the safety of the window in her flat on the 7th floor which opened horizontally 360 degrees and she had heard about the death of a little boy who fell from the window of a neighbouring high-rise tower block.  Exodus was a curious, adventurous and strong little boy for his age.  Her older boy Joel has autism, balance issues and epilepsy.

She notified her landlord, the local authority of her concerns but these were either dismissed or ignored.  Despite the fact that, following the earlier death, they had promised to improve window safety and to offer to fit fixed restrictors to all windows, particularly those housing the vulnerable.

Tragically, history repeated itself.  One morning, as Mrs Berihew cooked breakfast, and as his sister momentarily went to the bathroom, Exodus went into his sister’s bedroom and climbed onto her bed, under the window, from which he fell to his death.

His mother and sister rushed downstairs and cradled his lifeless tiny body as they awaited the emergency services.

It is compulsory to have fixed restrictors on windows in hotels and in the workplace, but these regulations do not apply to housing.

I am campaigning to change regulations to make it compulsory to fit permanently fixed restrictors in all windows in high-rise buildings and to improve policy to empower tenants to have their concerns regarding window safety heard.

Exodus was a beautiful little boy, described by his family as cheeky and full of life and energy.  Please help me in securing these changes so that history does not repeat itself once again. We need to keep our children and those with vulnerabilities living in high-rise tower blocks safe.

Thank you.