Woman ‘lied about being a Grenfell victim to claim £10k’

A WOMAN lied about losing her home in the Grenfell tower block tragedy so she could claim thousands in compensation and spend nights in a Hilton hotel, a court heard yesterday.

Joyce Msokeri, 46, is said to have pocketed at least £10,000 in cash, goods and accommodation by falsely saying she survived the inferno that killed at least 80 people in June.

Msokeri, a Zimbabwean national, lives in the south London suburb of Sutton – more than 12 miles from 24-storey Grenfell tower in Kensington, west London. She appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday, charged with seven counts of fraud by false representation.

Msokeri is charged with making false claims to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to secure cash and accommodation, and of making false claims to charities to gain clothing, food and electronic equipment.

She is also accused of making false representations, between July 30 and September 4, to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital that she was the wife of a man called Juna Hanlon. Another charge alleges she made false representations to St Charles Hospital.

She is also accused of making false claims to HMRC that she was a Grenfell resident on June 14 – the day of the fire – and also of making false claims to a GP surgery in Kensington during the same time frame.

Msokeri indicated not guilty pleas to the charges, and her case was sent to the Crown Court.

District Judge Elizabeth Roscoe said: ‘It’s a substantial amount of money. It’s in circumstances where it’s akin to a fraud on a vulnerable person, who has been injured.

‘It’s similar to that, in of course there is a finite part, and the more that is taken out illegally, the less there is for those that deserve it.’ Judge Roscoe remanded Msokeri in custody. She is due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on October 3.

It came as a charity said at least 20 survivors and witnesses of the Grenfell blaze had tried to kill themselves since the tragedy.

Silence of Suicide founder Yvette Greenway said many had been unable to get the images of the burning tower ‘out of their minds’ and were feeling isolated as a result.

Speaking on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire Show, she said those affected had little confidence in ‘council-led’ mental health support. Echoing the criticisms, a spokesman for campaign group Justice4Grenfell said the figure could well be due to residents living with survivor’s guilt.

More than 800 people have had mental health assessments following the fire, with 200 referred for treatment after suffering posttraumatic stress, according to Kensington and Chelsea Council.

Miss Greenway admitted her figure was purely based on anecdotal evidence and she had been unable to verify it.

Judy Bolton, of Justice4Grenfell, said the provision of mental health support had been ‘appalling’.

She added: ‘People are self-medicating to shut out the trauma. We were flooded with drug dealers preying on the traumatised. There are still ashes still blowing over us when the train goes past. We’re being covered in the ash of our dead friends and relatives.’

For confidential support, contact the Samaritans on 116123 or go to samaritans.org

‘Less for those who deserve it’