A fraudster who posed as a grieving Grenfell Tower survivor by claming the fire had left her a widow has been jailed after falsely claiming food, clothing and money meant for real survivors.
Joyce Msokeri was handed a four-and-a-half-year sentence at the Old Bailey on Friday (April 6) after taking £19,000 worth of donations by claiming her husband had died in the blaze.
The 47-year-old, who was actually single and living miles away from the tower, filled a room at a Hilton hotel with donations while concocting a ploy to claim insurance on her partner's death.
Although she claimed to have lived in the tower since February 2017, on the morning after the fire she had made an hour-long call to Sky TV to complain about the service at her flat in Sutton.
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According to Metropolitan Police, Msokeri provided a “very detailed account” of how her husband had gone to help his sister, who she claimed also died in the blaze.
As part of the fraud, the 47-year-old told investigators she subsequently discovered her husband had survived and had been living in a cave in Margate, where he was fed by tourists.
She also persuaded a vulnerable man to pretend to be her husband and went to the length of admitting him into a mental health ward to support her fraudulent claim.
Speaking after the sentencing on Friday (April 6), Kate Mulholland, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said Msokeri exploited “extremely vulnerable people”.
“Joyce Msokeri has been sentenced today for fraudulently claiming money and accommodation intended for the true victims of the Grenfell Tower fire," she said.
“Msokeri’s offences were not just about money but involved the exploitation of extremely vulnerable people, as well as the breach of trust of survivors, donors and relief workers."
She added: “Our prosecution showed she persuaded one vulnerable man to pretend to be her husband as part of her scam.
“She also claimed her supposed husband had not died in the fire as she first thought, but had been living in a cave.
“This was all to satisfy her greed and she will now have to face the consequences of her dishonesty.”
Msokeri, of Ambleside Gardens, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court on March 15 of three counts of fraud after trying to frustrate the justice process by faking illnesses.
These fraud charges were committed against the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), the Hilton and charities respectively, and a further charge of possessing a false document.
The Sutton resident, who used a wheelchair for which she had no medical need, was not in court to hear the jury's verdicts on March 15 as she remains in hospital after being admitted for tests.
Judge Michael Grieve QC thanked the jury for their "good humour" throughout the trial in the face of Msokeri's delaying tactics, including regularly feigning illness and claiming to be disabled.
Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Bonner added: "The distress and suffering caused to so many that night in June is harrowing.
“People lost their homes, all their possessions, and tragically their families and loved ones. It is terrible that this individual should try to profit from the pain of others.
"Not only did Msokeri take money, housing and clothing intended for genuine victims, she diverted police resources away from those who most needed it.”
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