A FOUR-YEAR-OLD who was playing his PlayStation in the bedroom of a second-floor apartment fell to his death after he climbed out of an old-style sash window that had no lock mechanism, an inquest has heard.
Younas Hassissi was living with his parents, Ahamed Hassissi and Karina Benabbi, of Algerian origin, and his baby sister in a two-bedroom apartment at Leinster Square, Rathmines, Dublin, when the accident occurred on August 7th, 2007, Dublin City Coroner's Court heard.
Ms Benabbi was feeding her daughter in an adjoining living room of the rented apartment and went into the bedroom after a few minutes when she had heard no sound from her son.
He was nowhere to be seen and the top of the sash window, which had been closed, was wide open. She discovered her son lying on the ground under the window.
The boy was taken to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, and was later transferred to Beaumont Hospital where he died of severe head injuries three days later. He never regained consciousness.
Sgt John Kane of Rathmines Garda station told the inquest the window in the bedroom was an old-style, large Victorian sash window, which was extremely easy to open and close.
"The slightest pressure from one finger dropped the window down," he said, adding he was satisfied the child opened the window himself. A "block mechanism" can be used to render such windows child-proof, but such a mechanism was not in use on that window. Mr Hassissi had fitted nails on the window to prevent it from being opened from the bottom.
Ms Benabbi told the inquest her son had never before opened the window from the top.
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell recorded a verdict of accidental death and said he would write to the Private Residential Tenancies Board and to the Heath and Safety Authority urging landlords who have tenants who are parents with young children to make every effort to childproof Victorian sash windows. Sgt Kane told the coroner something needed to be done, "or else something like this will happen again".