The horror of the Grenfell Tower fire that ripped through a North Kensington tower block 17 months ago is still felt to this day.

72 people died in the blaze which was the worst of its kind in recent British history. It tore through the 24-storey block and those who lucky to escape it lost loved ones, neighbours and their homes.

More than a year on from the inferno, a community is still in mourning and many of the tower's former residents are still waiting to be rehomed.

A public enquiry into what happened is ongoing and survivors and those affected by the tragedy are united in a campaign for justice.

But as the facts around the fire slowly emerge so has string of repulsive criminals who sought to take advantage of the tragedy for their own gain.

Families of victims of the Grenfell Tower fire attend a memorial service in the first anniversary
Families of victims of the Grenfell Tower fire attend a memorial service in the first anniversary

This is the long line of fraudsters, including a former council worker and a "parasitic" couple who have been charged or put behind bars following the Grenfell Tower blaze for manipulating the disaster for their own gain.

Sharife Elouahabi

Sharife Elouahabi, frauded the council out of more than £100,000 after pretending to have family in Grenfell Tower

The 38-year-old fraudster who had no links to Grenfell Tower was put up in a hotel and stole more than £100,000 meant for Grenfell survivors after lying about having family who died in the tower.

Elouahabi, of no fixed abode, had been living at another Kensington address when he claimed to have been staying with his supposed family in a flat on the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea placed him in emergency accommodation in a hotel and he spent a year - from June 23, 2017 to June 25, 2018- claiming benefits intended for real victims.

Elouahabi conned the council out of £89,827 worth of accommodation and £13,648.60 cash for food.

He had even claimed for a new home, which would have cost the council £14,730 if it had gone ahead before the fraud was discovered.

Elouahabi was found out following an investigation pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud by false representation at Isleworth Crown Court on November 5.

He is due to be sentenced on Tuesday, November 20 at the same court.

Koffi Kouakou

Koffi Kouako was jailed for four years for claiming his girlfriend had perished in the Grenfell Tower Fire so he could be re-homed

This west Londoner lied about his girlfriend dieing in the Grenfell tragedy to swindle the council out of thousands of pounds meant for real survivors. 53-year-old Koffi Kouakou of Westfield Close, Coleridge Gardens claimed he had been living in the tower with his girlfriend, an occupant who died in the tragic fire.

Following his claimed Kensington and Chelsea Council put him up in a hotel for two months before re-homing him in council accommodation.

The council spent more than £30,000 on accommodation for Kouakou who was found to be lying following a Metropolitan Police investigation.

Police confirmed Kouakou had not been living in Grenfell Tower and that he had not been in a relationship with the woman.

He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Isleworth Crown Court on October 17 and was jailed for four years.

Mohammed Syed Rinku

Grenfell fraud Mohammed Syed Rinku lied about living in the tower

Illegal immigrant Mohammed Syed Rinku, claimed he was in a relationship with a Grenfell Tower Fire victim to try and stay in the country.

The 46-year-old applied to stay in the UK and received more than £5,000 in support while his claims were investigated.

He was found to be lying to try and stay in the country and charged with fraud as well as being ordered to pay back £4,044.36.

Rinku, who is of no fixed address, was jailed for 18 months at Isleworth Crown Court on October 9.

Abdelkarim Rekaya

Abdelkarim Rekaya posed as a Grenfell Tower fire victim to steal thousands of pounds meant for survivors

The 28-year-old conned Kensington and Chelsea Council out of more than £80,000 in financial support after claiming he was a Grenfell Tower resident and had been made homeless by the tragic fire on June 17 last year.

He was re-homed at an address in Lots Road, Fulham where he lived rent free and without paying bills until July 1, 2018 when enquiries found his story was false and that he had never lived in Grenfell Tower.

He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and obtaining leave to remain by deception at Isleworth Crown Court on September 21.

Rekaya, of Lots Road, has been remanded to be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on November 27.

Jenny McDonagh

Last month the former Kensington and Chelsea Council finance minister admitted to stealing more than £60,000 meant for Grenfell Tower victims.

The 39-year-old took the money meant for survivors using pre-paid credit cards, despite having no personal connection to the tragedy, which she used to fund trips to Dubai and Los Angeles, expensive dinners and online gambling.

She was charged with two counts of fraud by abuse of position, one count of theft by an employee and one count of money laundering.

McDonagh who was described in court as a "serial fraudster" who "lived beyond her means" has been bailed and a sentencing date has yet to be set.

Derrick Peters

Derrick Peters

Homeless Derrick Peters, 58, lied about living in Grenfell Tower to get a shorter sentence for burglary.

He was put behind bars after falsely telling a judge he had lost all his belongings in the blaze.

His lies meant he put up in free four-star hotel accommodation worth £38,784, courtesy of Kensington and Chelsea Council .

Now Peters, who pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and perverting the course of justice will spend the next six years in jail.

This includes a three year and four month sentence for two counts of fraud by false representation, 20 months for one count of perverting the course of justice and 12 months after being resentenced for previous count of burglary - all to be be served consecutively.

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Tommy Brooks and Elaine Douglas

Tommy Brooks (left) and Elaine Douglas (right) fraudulently claimed financial support worth more than £125,000

Tommy Brooks, 52, and Elaine Douglas, 51, were described as "parasitic" after they claimed to be victims of the devastating fire in order to freeload a combined £125,000 in financial support.

The duo claimed they had lived on the 19th floor of the building but they had been staying with friends the night of the tragedy.

Douglas had claimed £67,125.35 and Brooks had received £58,396.89 in financial support after the fire as well as free hotel accommodation by the time their fraud was discovered by the authorities.

They were sentenced at the same court on July 13, with Douglas receiving three years imprisonment and Brooks receiving three years and three months.

Mohammed Gammota

Mohammad Ali Gamoota told Kensington and Chelsea Council that his father had died in the Grenfell Tower fire to claim hotel accommodation and money
Mohammad Gamoota pretended his dad died in the Grenfell Tower fire

Gammota pretended his dad died in the fire to get hundreds of pounds in cash and a free hotel stay, where he racked up a large room service bill.

The 31-year-old was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to two fraud charges in June this year.

He claimed he had been living on the 24th floor of the tower with his dad, who he pretended had died in the devastating fire.

In reality he was living with his mum in Croydon and his dad was living abroad.

71 people died in the fire that destroyed a North Kensington tower block last year

To make his fraud more convincing, Gamoota researched a newspaper article about one of the 71 real victims of the fire, and used their name and details - pretending they were his dad - to make his claims for free hotel accommodation and cash sound more convincing.

He also made Internet searches using the words “Grenfell Tower Fraud”.

Gamoota was able to receive £500 in cash, although he had applied for £5,000 and he received £910 worth of free hotel accommodation over nine days, and a £354 room service bill.

He was sentenced to three years and two month's imprisonment at the court.

Antonio Gouveia

Antonio Gouveia lied about having lived in Flat 42 Grenfell Tower

Antonio Gouveia fraudulently claimed more than £50,000 after pretending to be a victim of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

The 33-year-old homeless man came forward days after the disaster, claiming to have lived in Flat 42 on the seventh floor of the tower.

Gouveia claimed nine months free accommodation at a Marble Arch hotel, worth £155 a night, as well as £260 in emergency cash, a £249.99 Google Chromebook laptop.

His hotel stay alone was worth a total of £53,456.76.

The cash and hotel accommodation were given to him after he turned up at Westway Centre, a hub for the emergency efforts at the time of the fire.