A woman accused of lying to a council to obtain more than £10,000 allocated for victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster has appeared in court.

Joyce Msokeri, 46, allegedly falsely claimed she was a Grenfell Tower fire survivor, whose husband had died in the tragedy.

She is alleged to have lied to Kensington and Chelsea Council to obtain more than £10,000 in funds allocated for victims of the blaze, and get accommodation at the Hilton hotel.

Msokeri is alleged to have told hospitals she was the wife of a patient, misled charities to get food and clothing, and made false representations to HMRC and a GP surgery in the west London borough.

The accused, of Ambleside Gardens in Sutton, south London, is also said to have falsely claimed to have a child in intensive care following the fire on June 14.

She was arrested on July 26; a hearing on September 5 at Westminster Magistrates' Court was told Msokeri made substantial claims on the basis she was a survivor of the blaze.

The victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy

Msokeri appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday (November 23) charged with five counts of fraud and one count of possessing a false identity document.

She sat in the dock in a wheelchair throughout the short hearing, wearing a dark coat, with her hair covered with a black scarf.

She did not speak to confirm her name and date of birth, leaving her barrister, Susan Meek, to confirm Msokeri's identity.

The defendant was due to enter pleas, but the case was adjourned until January 5 next year for legal reasons.

A provisional trial date at the same court was previously set for February 26.

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