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Ashley Pemberton & Douglas Whitbread & Jasmine Norden

Mum of tragic baby who died in Leeds tower block fall named locally

A toddler who died a few days ago in a tragic fall from a Leeds tower block has been named locally.

On Saturday, July 2, a one-year-old boy fell around 60 feet from his mum's bedroom in a block of flats in Saville Green. He has been named locally as Exodus Eyob.

His mum has also been named locally as Birikti Berihew, 40, and neighbours said she hasn't been able to eat or sleep since the tragedy. She is receiving support from her friends at a local church.

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A local at the Pentecostal church that is supporting Birikti said: “She’s a really amazing person, she’s an amazing mum. She does a lot for the church and has a lot of close friends from the church. She’s very emotional at the moment.”

It is thought Birikti was making food for her youngest when the tragic incident happened. Her and her son's identities have not been confirmed by police.

A one-year-old boy fell out of a window on the side of a block of flats in Leeds (Mellissa Dzinzi)

It is believed that the toddler lived in the building with his mum and two older siblings. The family is believed to have been living in the building for around nine years after Birikti emigrated from Eritrea and was granted British citizenship.

A neighbour previously told LeedsLive, he heard the mum screaming and he saw the baby on the grass verge on the side of the building where he had fallen.

“I’m sad for the mum, she’s a very nice person. It could have happened anywhere,” said the neighbour. “I’m shaken, very upset and nervous. I know the mum, she’s a good mum. The little boy would run and give me a hug, he was very fast.”

A police cordon was in place at the flats over the weekend - and police continued to conduct enquiries until Tuesday, July 5.

Another woman who lives on the ground floor of the building said the baby's death was "tragic", after she came home to the cordon on Saturday.

A one-year-old boy fell out of a window on the side of a block of flats in Leeds (Mellissa Dzinzi)

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police previously said: "At 1.25pm on Saturday, July 2, police were contacted by the ambulance service who were attending Saville Green in Leeds where a child had fallen from the window of a flat.

"The one-year-old boy was taken to hospital for emergency treatment but was pronounced dead a short time later.

"The incident is being treated as a sudden unexpected death in childhood and we ask that people consider the family and respect their privacy at what is clearly a very difficult time for them."

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