Grenfell conman jailed but he’ll be free in 3 months
A CONMAN comforted by Prince Charles after pretending his family died in the Grenfell Tower fire has been jailed for 21 months. Anh Nhu Nguyen was pictured shaking the Prince’s hand in the days after the disaster when he spun an elaborate web of lies, claiming his wife and son were killed in the June 14 blaze.
The Vietnamese illegal immigrant, 53, pocketed £11,270 from charities and Kensington and Chelsea Council as he was put up in hotels and given clothing, laptops and cash.
Survivors told of their disgust at the fraud yesterday and it emerged that Nguyen is likely to be released from prison before the one-year anniversary of the disaster. He admitted two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of making an untrue statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport.
But, because he has been in custody since his arrest last June, he is likely to be released at the halfway point of his sentence which means he will be freed in May.
He had told police he had lost sight of his wife and 12-year-old son in a smoke-clogged stairwell.
But after giving tearful TV interviews about his own escape and the horror of climbing over dead bodies, it emerged that he was a convicted fraudster with 17 aliases who lived 12 miles away in Beckenham, southeast London.
Police discovered he had 28 previous convictions for 56 offences spanning more than 30 years, including theft, dishonesty offences, arson and grievous bodily harm.
Southwark Crown Court heard that Nguyen, who has never held British citizenship, even tried to apply for a new passport by claiming his had been incinerated.
One survivor of the blaze, Manuel Alves said in a statement: ‘The actions of this fraudster has totally ripped the heart and faith of the Grenfell Tower community and I personally have lost the little trust I have in the system.’
In the aftermath of the disaster, he was given a £249 room in the Hilton Hotel and the council gave him cash handouts of £5,360 and paid for a £1,940 stay in a Holiday Inn.
The Rugby Portobello Trust was swindled out of a mobile phone and two laptops while Turn2us gave him £1,500. Another charity, People’s Potential Possibilities, parted with £1,000. He also accepted at least £1,000 worth of food, clothes and toiletries donated by strangers.
Police only discovered his lies when he gave several false addresses, including a flat that belonged to a real victim, whose son was extremely distressed when police questioned him about Nguyen’s account.
Sentencing him yesterday Judge Philip Bartle QC said: ‘The appalling fire that occurred at Grenfell Tower in the early hours of the 14th of June last year is no doubt seared in the memory of anyone who has known about that tragedy, in which around 70 people died.
‘Many others, their families and friends, have suffered appallingly as well as those, of course, who must have died a horrific death.
‘You went into considerable detail to persuade people that you did live in Grenfell Tower, had a partner and a child who died in that tragedy.
‘But none of it was true, and so you benefited when others should have received that money.
‘Your actions have had a lasting impact on others who have been appalled that somebody should seek to benefit for their own situation when others have lost their lives in this terrible tragedy.’
Nguyen was described as having an ‘unusually low IQ’, but the judge said: ‘I am sure from everything I have seen and everything I have read that despite your low IQ you knew full well what you were doing.
‘You knew you were taking advantage of those genuine victims at this terrible time.’
Nguyen may be one of several fraudsters who benefited from donations after Grenfell.
Councillor Kim Taylor- Smith, deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said investigations into similar frauds are underway.
She said: ‘ Our officers have referred several cases of fraud to the Metropolitan Police and we are awaiting the outcome of a number of investigations.’
‘Lasting impact on others’