Pair who ‘claimed £220k Grenfell fire victims’ cash’ charged with fraud
A HOMELESS pair allegedly claimed to live in Grenfell Tower to swindle £220k in handouts after the deadly blaze.
Elaine Douglas and Tommy Brooks, both 51, have been charged with fraud after allegedly claiming they lived on the 19th floor of the 24-storey block following the devastating fire that killed 71 residents.
They are said to have claimed they were not in the tower on the fatal night.
But a police investigation alleges they did not live in the north Kensington tower block at all when it was gutted by fire on June 14 last year.
The pair were arrested on Tuesday and charged with three counts of fraud by false representation today.
Douglas and Brooks are accused of receiving financial support to the values of £117,000 and £103,000, respectively.
They appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court and were both remanded in custody to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on May 30.
Scotland Yard said in a statement: "A man and woman have been charged with fraud relating to the Grenfell Tower fire.
"Elaine Douglas, 51 and Tommy Brooks, 51, both of no fixed abode, were both charged on Wednesday, 2 May, with three counts of fraud by false representation.
"Douglas and Brookes appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 2 May where they were both remanded in custody.
In September 2017 an inquiry opened into the cause of the tragedy."
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Investigators confirmed the deadly Grenfell Tower blaze started in a Hotpoint fridge freezer.
It is suspected that a fault caused the appliance to catch alight in a fourth-floor flat.
Witnesses said flames spread up the exterior cladding of the building sparking an urgent review of tower block safety.
It was revealed that low cost cladding was fitted to the block in a £9million refurb completed in May last year, ordered by the firm that manages the tower.
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