Sheffield hotel fall: MPs call for urgent investigation after death

The Refugee Council says hotels are being used to accommodate people due to a shortage of suitable housing

An urgent independent investigation must be carried out into the safety of accommodation provided to Afghan refugees, a group of MPs has said.

The call for an inquiry comes after Mohammed Munib Majeedi, who had only recently arrived in the UK, fell to his death from a hotel window in Sheffield.

The city's Labour MPs said the five-year-old's death was an "unimaginable tragedy" and "lessons must be learnt".

The Home Office said it was committed to ensuring "safe and secure" housing.

Mohammed is believed to have fallen from a ninth-floor room at the OYO Metropolitan Hotel in Blonk Street at about 14:30 BST on Wednesday.

Louise Haigh, Labour MP for Sheffield Heeley, said: "We know that the Home Office placed some refugees there last August and then moved them following concerns about the suitability of that accommodation.

"So why vulnerable families from Afghanistan, involving children, were placed in this accommodation again this year is a very serious question that they have to urgently answer."

The Home Office did not deny the claims when approached for comment, but said it was "absolutely committed to ensuring that Afghan refugees are appropriately accommodated".

South Yorkshire Police is investigating the circumstances and said officers were providing support to the boy's family.

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Meanwhile, a woman was arrested on Friday morning over comments posted online following the death.

The 42-year-old from Sheffield was being questioned on suspicion of malicious communications and racially-aggravated public order offences, police said.

The boy's family is understood to have arrived in the UK in early August as part of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme.

Ten other Afghan families staying at the hotel have been moved to alternative accommodation.

The five MPs - Paul Blomfield, Clive Betts, Olivia Blake, Gill Furniss and Ms Haigh - said in a joint statement: "The death of Mohammed Munib Majeedi is an unimaginable tragedy.

"Our hearts go out to his family and friends; and supporting them at this terrible time must be everyone's priority."

South Yorkshire Police said it was not treating the boy's death as suspicious

They said the Home Office had a duty of care for people resettled under its programmes and added: "Lessons must be learnt from this tragedy so it is never repeated."

Any review must be independently conducted to "establish what was known by the Home Office about the suitability and safety of this accommodation, and what procedures were followed before commissioning its use for vulnerable families".

"The UK must be a safe haven for those fleeing the appalling horrors in Afghanistan, and we must see a clear commitment from the government to ensure this is the case," they added.

'Was anything overlooked?'

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the speed of the situation in Afghanistan had meant the usual arrangements for refugees had not been possible.

"What normally would happen is a family would arrive and they would be taken by an agency like ours to a house that had been set up and organised by a local council," he said.

Flowers and cards have been left at the hotel, including one message which reads: "Sleep tight darling, this community are watching over your mum, dad and family"

Due to a shortage of suitable accommodation the Home Office had to use hotels, Mr Solomon said, and it was not clear if the necessary health checks had been done.

"We don't know the details and there needs to be a rapid investigation to find out whether anything was overlooked or steps weren't taken to ensure all the potential risks were minimised for the families put in that hotel."

'Not acceptable'

Mr Solomon said the Refugee Council had published a report in April looking at the situation in hotels.

"We found some really disturbing stories, for example people with mobility problems being put on higher floors in hotels where there are no lifts, it has certainly been very challenging in hotels."

However, he said they had not found any specific examples of concerns related to safety issues.

The government said all the families staying at the hotel had been moved, adding: "The Home Office is committed to ensuring that accommodation is safe, secure and individuals are provided with meals and support."

A spokesman for the Afghan Community Association in Sheffield said: "Whether it was a mistake or something, I don't know but what happened is not acceptable at all.

"It is very, very sad for the whole community - everybody has been devastated for this poor family who had just arrived from Afghanistan to have a life here."