Grenfell fraudster is put behind bars

BY YANN TEAR
yann@slpmedia.co.uk

A man who falsely claimed he had been sleeping rough in Grenfell Tower at the time of the catastrophic fire has been jailed for fraud.

Alvin Thompson, 51, of Westbourne Park Road, Notting Hill was found guilty of two counts of fraud at Isleworth Crown Court last Wednesday.

He was sentenced at the same court on Thursday to five years and six months for the first count and four years for the second count, to be served concurrently.

The court heard that Thompson approached Kensington and Chelsea council on July 28, 2017 and claimed that he had been sleeping in the tower as a homeless person for the previous two years, and had escaped the tower on the morning of the fire after being woken by the smell of smoke and people shouting outside.

He claimed to have been sleeping in the stairwell on the fifth floor and helped people escape, allegedly stepping over bodies as they got out.

Thompson sought to back up his story with letters from his doctor and requested to be diagnosed with PTSD.

He told doctors that he had recurring nightmares of seeing a small child at a window in the fire, flashbacks to stepping over bodies, and survivor’s guilt.

He was subsequently diagnosed with extreme levels of PTSD and anxiety based on the accounts he provided to the medical professionals, which are now known to be false.

As a result of his claims he received hotel accommodation, financial assistance and was subsequently allocated permanent housing in March 2018 after living in hotels for eight months.

Thompson requested the permanent accommodation be painted and re-carpeted to his specification.

The total value of the fraud, including hotels, financial handouts and permanent housing costs amounted to £95,706.42.

However, investigations established Thompson had links to an address in Archway, north London, throwing into doubt his claim that he was homeless and living in Grenfell Tower.

Mobile phone evidence also showed that in the months before the fire, Thompson’s phone did not register overnight in the vicinity of Grenfell Tower, and instead showed that he frequented north London.

His banking transactions and passport records again provided evidence he was linked to an address in Archway.

CCTV enquiries did not capture him either fleeing the fire, or entering the tower at any point in the preceding two weeks.

Thompson claimed he was not picked up on cameras because he fled the blaze by leaping out of a window.

But the prosecution accused him of making up that excuse after realising his non-appearance on CCTV footage would cast doubt over his claims to have been there.

Prosecutor Adeniyi Ogunleye said: “Alvin Thompson spun a web of lies and took advantage of a community tragedy to make a gain for himself.

“When council workers questioned his story, Thompson would become emotional about the trauma he had supposedly suffered or accuse them of being discriminatory towards him.

However, the prosecution case was able to demonstrate that Thompson had never lived inside Grenfell Tower.

n fact, an analysis of CCTV footage months ahead of the fire did not establish a single sighting of Thompson entering or leaving the tower.

“Thompson carried out his fraud for a year, diverting funds away from the true survivors of the fire and betraying the trust of everyone who gave him assistance.

When someone is dishonest in this way it is only right that they are held to account by the justice system.”

Thompson approached council workers some six weeks after the fire, asking for accommodation.

He claimed he had been sleeping in a cemetery in Kensal Green or Kensal Rise all this time.

He also presented a burn on his hand that he initially said had come about as a result of the fire.

Detective Constable Lisa Cook, investigating, said: “Anyone who attempts to profit from the tragedy that occurred at Grenfell Tower can expect to be punished to the full extent of the law.

“Thompson’s behaviour was despicable. He showed complete disregard for the suffering of those who lost their lives, and their families.

Now he will have plenty of time in prison to think about what he has done.”