Grenfell Tower fire: Man arrested after allegedly pretending to be affected by disaster for financial gain

He tried to gain money and housing by pretending he had been affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy

Bookmark
Share

By

Tom Phillips

09:28, 30 JUN 2017

Video Loading

A man has been arrested after attempting to gain money and housing by pretending he was affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

Metropolitan Police confirmed they arrested a man on Wednesday evening (June 28) on suspicion of fraud.

Detectives believe the man was working alone and it is not linked to sub-letting or immigration matters.

Grenfell Tower fire latest

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said: "The distress and suffering caused to so many families and loved ones that night is harrowing.

"That night people lost their homes all their possessions and tragically their families and loved ones. The focus of all of us should be on supporting victims and families, recovering loved ones from Grenfell Tower and investigating the fire.

"I have made it clear that we are not interested in investigating things such as sub-letting or immigrations matters as I want their help - and do no want there to be any hidden victims of this tragedy.

"However, we will robustly investigate any information about anyone who seeks to capitalise on the suffering of so many."

The man remains in custody in a west London police station but not in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android.

Story Saved

You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.

Transport for London London Underground District line station reopens after 'human tissue' and blood found on platform Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed station on the District line has reopened

Brothers who launched terrifying family feud machete attack at Walthamstow pub jailed for 48 years

Spurred on after a call from their aunt, Jaydon and Brandon Brown donned balaclavas and armed themselves with 20-inch knives before strolling into a pub on serene Monday evening - what followed rocked Walthamstow

Terrified families hid in shops while gang member, 21, fired gun at rival in Tottenham street

Ricardo Anderson, 21, fired his weapon with 'no concern at all' for children on the busy street, the court heard

London Overground and National Rail trains will not run as key route shuts for 16 days

London Overground and National Rail services from Liverpool Street Station will be affected and follow-up works will cause further disruption

The London street with major pickpocket issue where TESCO managers says 'phones are stolen every day'

The Met Police said it has recently carried out regular and plain clothed operations in the area

Southall Ealing mum passed out from shock after thieves stole £25k of jewellery with distraction trick Paramjit Kaur, 45, has been prescribed tablets by a GP to lower her blood pressure due to her high levels of stress

'We've been homeless in Croydon for 2 years and it's horrible - I lost my eye after being stabbed'

Shane and Annmarie returned to their temporary accommodation to find they'd been locked out while doing the weekly shop

Pixie Lott plays surprise Battersea Power Station gig as she belts out new songs - in photos

The gig included a sneak peek of some of her new hits

EastEnders fans spot 3 key points that already 'prove' Ben Mitchell's exit was a mistake

Ben's past caught up with him and he was arrested

BBC MasterChef viewers slam 'boring' challenge as they laugh at simple task given to contestants

Fans of the cooking competition were not impressed with the latest instalment of the BBC One show

Transport for London London Underground District line station reopens after 'human tissue' and blood found on platform Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed station on the District line has reopened

Brothers who launched terrifying family feud machete attack at Walthamstow pub jailed for 48 years

Spurred on after a call from their aunt, Jaydon and Brandon Brown donned balaclavas and armed themselves with 20-inch knives before strolling into a pub on serene Monday evening - what followed rocked Walthamstow

Terrified families hid in shops while gang member, 21, fired gun at rival in Tottenham street

Ricardo Anderson, 21, fired his weapon with 'no concern at all' for children on the busy street, the court heard

London Overground and National Rail trains will not run as key route shuts for 16 days

London Overground and National Rail services from Liverpool Street Station will be affected and follow-up works will cause further disruption

The London street with major pickpocket issue where TESCO managers says 'phones are stolen every day'

The Met Police said it has recently carried out regular and plain clothed operations in the area

Southall Ealing mum passed out from shock after thieves stole £25k of jewellery with distraction trick Paramjit Kaur, 45, has been prescribed tablets by a GP to lower her blood pressure due to her high levels of stress

'We've been homeless in Croydon for 2 years and it's horrible - I lost my eye after being stabbed'

Shane and Annmarie returned to their temporary accommodation to find they'd been locked out while doing the weekly shop

Pixie Lott plays surprise Battersea Power Station gig as she belts out new songs - in photos

The gig included a sneak peek of some of her new hits

EastEnders fans spot 3 key points that already 'prove' Ben Mitchell's exit was a mistake

Ben's past caught up with him and he was arrested

BBC MasterChef viewers slam 'boring' challenge as they laugh at simple task given to contestants

Fans of the cooking competition were not impressed with the latest instalment of the BBC One show

London street rife with pickpockets where 'phones are stolen every day'

The Met Police said it has recently carried out regular and plain clothed operations in the area

London's bluebell walks won't get better than they are right now - this woodland contains one of the city's best

Nestled down in south Croydon's Coulsdon, this woodland walk is a beautifully scenic springtime stroll

Barclays window destroyed and bank defaced by pro-Palestine protesters

The suspects had fled before police arrived at the scene in North End, Croydon

6 in hospital after lorry, minibus and car involved in motorway crash

Traffic and Travel

Air ambulance attended and police have issued a witness appeal

HMV flagship store one of many to host Taylor Swift listening party to celebrate new album launch

The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, is out on April 19 (contains affiliate links)

Brand new Oxford Street food court given green light on site of souvenir shop

Chinese, Mediterranean and Iranian food will be coming to the famous London shopping street

Exactly when Forest Gate roads will reopen after police station fire

Metropolitan Police

A number of London buses have been on diversion and some bus stops have been closed since March 6

Man who sent envelopes of white powder to Westfield centres, Stansted Airport and schools is jailed

Gary Preston emptied an entire Premier Inn of guests with one of his hoaxes

Barbican estate flats 'not liveable' as homes 'filled with fumes' amid residents protest

Gail Lewis, 71, said she has been suffering from headaches and a sore throat due to the fumes as other residents said they don't want to open their windows

Elizabeth Line could see more trains on tracks to cope with rising demand

The Elizabeth Line has been a huge addition to TfL's network

Life on London's most expensive street right next to the King's closest Marks and Spencer

Marks & Spencer

Shops on the streets get some well-off customers as they're just a stone's throw from one of London's biggest landmarks but it comes at a hefty price to call it home

M23 pile-up of lorry, minibus and cars causes long delays near Gatwick

Traffic and Travel

Traffic has been trapped since 11.45am in four-mile stationary queues