Theft of £62k from Grenfell aid

A finance manager for Kensington and Chelsea Council has admitted defrauding around £60,000 from the Grenfell Tower victim fund.

Jenny Mcdonagh used prepaid credit cards meant for survivors of the tragedy to withdraw a total of £62,000 over a ten-month period.

She spent the funds on trips to Dubai and Los Angeles, expensive dinners and online gambling. The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to two offences of fraud, one of theft and another of concealing criminal property at Westminster Magistrates Court yesterday.

Mcdonagh, from Abbey Wood in south-east London, was first arrested on 1 August and used the stolen cards again two days later.

Prosecutor Robert Simpson said Mcdonagh was under investigation for suspected frauds against former employers Medway NHS Trust in Kent and the Victoria and Albert Museum.