Boy, eight, saw brother die in tower block plunge

A boy aged eight watched his brother fall 200 feet to his death after slipping through an open window, an inquest heard today.

Steven Castano Nurden walked into the kitchen of the family home as Christian, 10, fell through a 6.5-inch gap and to the ground 18 floors below.

Their father told an inquest at Westminster coroners' court that Christian had been sitting on the window sill in their north Kensington tower block at about 8pm on 31 May.

Alex Castano said: "[Steven] told me he was in his room playing with his game and he heard Christian calling to help him with something in the kitchen. As he arrived he saw Christian falling from a position where he had been sitting on the window."

His mother, Carmen Nurden, was in the living room with her one-year-old Andre at the time.

Coroner's Officer Elizabeth Riley said: "It was not unknown for Christian to either sit or kneel on the window sill in the 18th floor flat and he would do this to speak to friends on the outside who would be on the ground."

A restrictor prevented the window from being opened more than four inches, but this could be overridden. A second restrictor limited the opening to 6.5 inches.

Coroner Dr Paul Knapman recorded a verdict of accidental death.