Conman sent to prison for Grenfell fraud

A SERIAL conman who pretended his family died in the Grenfell Tower fire to obtain thousands of pounds in relief funds is likely to be released from prison before the one-year anniversary of the tragedy.

Fraudster Anh Nhu Nguyen, 53, was jailed for 21 months at Southwark Crown Court for his two-week web of deceit which saw him receive about £11,270 from charities and Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC).

Nguyen spun a cruel tale to family liaison officers and journalists, describing in detail how he and his family wrapped themselves in sheets and towels before he lost sight of them in the smoke-clogged stairwell.

His deception spread to the highest level, with Nguyen seen shaking the hand of the Prince of Wales when he visited a relief centre to show his support.

But the day after the June 14 fire, which killed 71 people, the fraudster was seen on CCTV at a housing charity nine miles away appearing “happy and lighthearted”, prosecutors said.

Yesterday at Southwark Crown Court Judge Philip Bartle QC told Nguyen, who showed no reaction as he stood in the dock, that he would serve half his sentence in jail.

Taking into consideration the seven months he has spent behind bars, this could see Vietnam-born Nguyen released in mid-May.

The judge dismissed claims from a psychological report read by Nguyen’s barrister Keima Payton, that part of his motivation was to “feel part of a group, to be looked after, wanted and welcome”.

He said: “The offences to which you have pleaded guilty are ones which you committed knowing full well what the consequences were. I do not accept that the acts were in some way an attempt to be part of a community and that you were in some way reaching out in order to be embraced by that community.

“I am sure from everything I have seen... that despite your low IQ you knew full well what you were doing, you knew that you were taking advantage of these genuine victims at this terrible time of this terrible tragedy.”

Nguyen has an “astonishingly low” IQ that places him in the bottom 2.5 per cent of people in Britain, Ms Payton said.