Coroner Mary Hassell ruled in June that Pellumb Olaj, 42, who had paranoid schizophrenia, died by suicide when he fell from the balcony of his flat in October 2024.
Ms Hassell said Islington Council should not have placed Mr Olaj in the property given his mental illness and record of suicide attempts. She said Islington had “failed to take this into account” when housing Mr Olaj in 2020 and needed to act to prevent similar situations in the future.
“In preparing for inquest (not immediately following Mr Olaj’s death), Islington has now recognised the need to take such matters into account, but I am not clear that it has mapped a way to do this for new and existing tenants,” the coroner added.
To this, Islington Council said it was “somewhat unfortunate” that, at the inquest, it had not been given ample opportunity to explain the actions it was already taking, which included redesigning its housing services and bringing in psychiatric advice during its housing application process. The borough’s assistant director for housing needs said officers would have made this clear at the hearing if the council had not been dissuaded from preparing a written statement by the coroner’s office, and if the Town Hall’s third witness had been called to give oral evidence as expected.
The assistant director said that at no point in the roughly four years Mr Olaj was housed in the property did anyone – including his primary care physician, psychiatrist and specialist occupational therapist – raise any concerns. As council staff had mentioned at the inquest, he said, Mr Olaj had indicated during a 2022 review that he was happy with his flat. The council’s accommodation supply was also “extremely limited, especially on the ground and first floor,” he said.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Cllr John Woolf, executive member for homes and neighbourhoods, said: “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the family, friends, and loved ones of Pellumb Olaj. I recognise the profound pain and loss they are experiencing and extend my sympathies during this incredibly difficult time.”
The cabinet member said the council had taken on board the coroner’s recommendations and “firmly committed to supporting residents facing homelessness and mental health challenges”. He explained it was now mandatory for the council to seek specialist psychiatric input when it became clear that individuals applying for housing had a mental health condition or a history of suicide attempts.
Cllr Woolf added that the borough’s broader commitment to curb and ultimately prevent suicides in the community was reflected in its Suicide Prevention Partnership between statutory services and the voluntary sector. This includes the crisis centre James’s Place in Old Street which offers free life-saving interventions for men.
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