Parents who believe damp and mould contributed to their 15-week-old son’s death at a north London flat led protests outside a housing association’s headquarters Islington.
Akram Mohammed died after his father Abdushafi and mother Aiat rushed their child to hospital when he started struggling to breathe on February 21.
They claimed “no one” from Notting Hill Genesis helped after repeated requests for repairs to “longstanding mould and damp” issues at the Camden property. A coroner has yet to conclude the cause of death.
Family lawyer Mark McGhee says a pathology report suggested Akram died of acute pneumonia due to a late-onset Group B Strep infection.
But Mr McGhee fears the state of the Mohammed family’s crowded housing association flat also played a part.
An inquest at St Pancras Coroner’s Court has been adjourned until later this year.
Mrs Mohammed said Akram struggled with the conditions, adding to BBC London: “If they just fixed those issues maybe he had a chance to live.
“When he was just months old I started to notice he had difficulty breathing. He could (would) breathe very, very loudly. But eventually the problems got bigger and bigger.
“Nobody would stay there. Even for a minute. You couldn’t breathe there. You would feel it in the air. The air was mouldy.”
Photos show the one-bedroom home was riddled with damp long before Akram - the couple’s third child - was born.
A spokesman for Social Housing Action Campaign said: “After the death of four-month old baby Akram Mohammed in a mould-ridden Notting Hill Genesis property, SHAC and the Unite Housing Workers Branch jointly organised a protest outside NHG’s head office on Friday.
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“Akram’s family joined us and everyone present was moved by their plight.”
Notting Hill Genesis said they conducted a thorough mould wash in April 2024 which removed it from the home.
In October - the month prior to Akram’s birth - Mr and Mrs Mohammed reported further issues of damp and mould, which the housing association was working to resolve.
Patrick Franco, Notting Hill Genesis’s chief executive, said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Akram Mohammed.
“We will continue to support the family in any way we can during this difficult time.
“No determination has been made by HM Coroner as to the cause of Akram’s death, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further or to speculate at this time.”
Camden Council added: “Akram’s death is a tragedy and our thoughts are with his family at what is a very sad time.
“We have been in regular contact with Notting Hill Genesis who assure us they are working to identify a suitable home for the family.”