Malika Hibu was five

THE family of a “funny, sweet and kind” girl who drowned in Regent’s Canal are still waiting for justice one year on, as permanent fencing is yet to be installed along the water’s edge where she fell in.

Five-year-old Malika Hibu died last February in the stretch of the canal beside her home in Crest Buildings, Angel, which is managed by Peabody Housing Association.

A coroner’s inquest found that the fence she fell through was unsafe, and Peabody had been aware of the risk before Malika’s death but failed to address it.

Malika’s father, Mohammed Hibu, who has called for permanent fencing to be built beside the estate, told the Tribune this week: “It has been one year, meeting after meeting.

“Our life is very badly affected.

“I couldn’t work as much as before.

“What has been done is very wrong, 100 per cent I blame Peabody.

“They had been told to put a fence on the canal for protection. They ignored too many people.

“At the end we need justice for Malika.

“And Peabody don’t want to mention this, they are acting like nothing happened. They don’t want to accept it’s their fault. That’s their land.”

The stretch of the canal near the Crest Buildings where Malika died

Mr Hibu, a cab driver, said he can become so overwhelmed by grief that he has to pull over.

“I switch off the car and I sit down. Hours and hours gone without work.”

Temporary fencing was put up following Malika’s death, but “it’s not safe at all,” Mr Hibu said, adding: “Anyone can dismantle it easily. They make this fence for construction workers, not for the public.”

Peabody and Islington Council assured residents at a meeting in October that permanent fences would be installed by February 2025. But a planning application submitted in December has not yet been approved by the council.

Residents had been advocating for a fence there for five years before the tragedy.

The inquest last July heard how Malika had managed to leave her home unnoticed and walk the short distance to the canal, which directly backs onto the Peabody housing estate.

Islington’s planning chief, Councillor Martin Klute, said a decision on the planning application is expected soon, adding: “I would remind that there is temporary fencing along the water’s edge at present, so the situation is currently safe and will remain so.”

A Peabody spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are very much still with Malika’s family after their terrible loss.

“We’ve listened to a range of feedback from the community and taken advice from safety experts on the design of a permanent fence at the water’s edge.

“We have submitted our proposal to Islington Council and we await their decision.”