Oldham man died at home which had mould, inquest hears

At Rochdale Coroners' Court today, Monday, an inquest into the death of Luke Brooks began.

Mr Brooks was 27 when he died on October 25 last year at his home on Huxley Street, Oldham, where he lived with his parents, two of his siblings and his friend Chris Haycock.

The court heard evidence from Luke's mother, Patricia, who was wearing a red t-shirt with Luke's face on it.

Ms Brooks told the court that the family had moved into the house in 2014 and had experienced a number of issues over the years, including leaks, mould, damp and not having a functioning heating system between 2014 and 2017.

She described her son as "intelligent", "clever" and "happy-go-lucky", adding that she had nothing bad to say about him.

The court heard from both Ms Brooks and Mr Haycock that about a week before his death, Mr Brooks developed symptoms of a cold that worsened in the days leading up to his death.

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These symptoms included shortness of breath, loss of voice, vomiting and developing a rash.

Ms Brooks called 111 on October 22, saying her son's condition was poor and she was advised to either wait some hours for an ambulance or to take him to A&E.

Ms Brooks told the court Mr Brooks was "scared" of doctors and hospitals and would never attend the doctors, however she added he very rarely got ill.

Mould on the ceiling over Mr Brooks' bedroom (Image: Brooks family via Kelly Darlington)

She called 111 again the following day on October 23, but again was told an ambulance would take some hours to attend.

The court heard how on the morning of October 25, Mr Haycock, who Mr Brooks shared a room with, saw the latter was having what he called "a fit" and 999 was called.

Paramedics attended and tried to treat Mr Brooks, who was single and unemployed at the time of his death, however he was confirmed dead at the scene.

Paramedics Neil McKay and Adam Wager, as well as attending police officer Adam Rogers, noticed there was mould around the window in Mr Brooks' and Mr Haycock's bedroom, with PC Rogers saying he saw mould above Mr Brooks' bed.

In a statement, PC Rogers said: "As you walked in the room, you could feel the damp on your lungs, it made your chest feel tight."

Mr Haycock had earlier said that Mr Brooks, who was a smoker and would smoke in his room, spent around "90 per cent" of his time in their room.

The court heard how the family had struggled to get many of the issues in the house repaired and had been exploring the idea of moving house through the Oldham charity Positive Steps.

The inquest continues tomorrow, Tuesday.