Pic:Jailed: Abolaji Onafuye, 54, posed as a victim of the Grenfell Tower fire and has been convicted of a £33,000 fraud(wp/es)
Pic:Victim of grenfell tower fire tragedy(wp)
Crime reporter,London(wp/es):
A Grenfell Tower fraudster who stole £33,000 has been jailed for five years after claiming he posed as a victim of the blaze because fasting drove him insane.
Abolaji Onafuye falsely claimed to have lived on the 11th floor of the block, which was destroyed by fire in June 2017.
The 54-year-old, from Hammersmith, west London, also claimed he had been related to one of the 72 people who died in the blaze, a court heard.
Onafuye claimed for accommodation and financial help worth around £33,000 from Kensington and Chelsea council and the charity Rugby Portobello Trust.
This included a stay at the Grosvenor Hotel at £190 a night from June to October 2017 and the cost of the temporary accommodation at Gorleston Street, the court heard.
Onafuye denied two counts of fraud by false representation but was found guilty earlier this month.
Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh told Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday Onafuye had shown no remorse for the scam and had even accused genuine victims of lying.
He said: "It was a disaster which shocked the nation. Most people reacted with horror and dismay and feelings of deep sympathy and profound concern for the survivors.
"Your response was very different. You decided to use the situation to your personal advantage to enrich yourself dishonestly by plundering public funds designed to assist genuine victims of that disaster in their hour of need."
Judge Curtis-Raleigh said that even after his arrest in June this year, Onafuye continued to be dishonest, first accusing residents of lying then claiming during his trial he had been suffering from temporary insanity caused by not eating during Ramadan.
He added: "You denounced the genuine victims, the genuine occupants of 84 Grenfell Tower whose statement had been presented in that interview as liars and you have continued lying.
"You have shown not a shred of remorse throughout these proceedings."
Ben Holt, prosecuting, said Onafuye had planned the scam by spending time in the Grenfell area after the fire and getting to know the names of victims Zaynab Deen and her son Jeremiah.
Zainu Deen, the father of Zaynab and grandfather of Jeremiah, said he was horrified fraudsters had tried to use their names to make a profit.
In a statement read to the court, he said: "I found this horrible and disturbing. I cannot really believe that anyone would use the tragic events of June 2017 to their benefit.
"Surely these people know there are real families who are suffering and whose lives will never be the same again.
"I am angry, cross, confused and incredibly frustrated."
Onafuye, of Gorleston Street, represented himself after sacking his barrister before the sentencing hearing and said he had never meant to cause anyone distress.
He said he had a sick mother, disabled son and three other children who relied on him "morally and financially".
No comments:
Post a Comment