Death of tenant’s son not linked to property condition, coroner rules

The death of a 27-year-old man was not caused by the mould in the private rental property he occupied.

That was the verdict of Joanne Kearsley, the same coroner who ruled last year that two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in Rochdale from a respiratory condition caused by mould at his housing association home.

The family of Luke Brooks, 27, said they believed the mould and damp in their three-bedroom private rental home in Oldham caused his death in October 2022.

The claims received substantial publicity before the inquest. 

However coroner Kearsley told the inquest at Rochdale Coroner's Court that “neither the disrepairs nor any damp caused or contributed to Luke's death.”

The coroner said his death was caused by aspergillus pneumonia and commented: “While the property within which Luke resided was in need of some repairs, neither the disrepairs nor any damp caused or contributed to Luke's death.

“Luke predominately resided in his bedroom which was in an unsanitary condition. He also smoked roll-up cigarettes and used cannabis.

“Due to these factors, it is not possible to determine the source of the aspergillus.”

The coroner told the Brooks family, who were present in court: “I do appreciate you had some genuine concerns about the property and my findings do not take away from that things did need to be done to the house.

“What I have had to separate is whether they did or did not play a part in Luke's death.”

She said the family was “quite right to raise these concerns - I absolutely understand that. I hope you understand why I have reached the conclusions I have come to.”

You can read the Mail Online’s extensive report on the inquest here.

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