Man arrested over disaster fraud claims
THE FUNERAL of a victim of the Grenfell fire has taken place a mile from the tower as his family paid a moving tribute to a “onein-a-million dad”.
Just over two weeks after the blaze, and 10 days after Tony Disson was formally named as one of the victims, family and friends gathered at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Roman Catholic Church in Ladbroke Grove, west London, for a memorial service.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also attended and arrived with a police escort shortly before the service.
One car in the funeral procession carried flower decorations spelling out “best dad” and “grandad”. Another said just “Tony”.
The coffin, decorated with white lilies, was taken to the church in a carriage pulled by four black horses.
After the cortege of funeral cars, a small truck carried even more floral tributes, including one decorated with boxing gloves.
As family members, friends and the funeral procession made the short journey from a relative’s home to the church, builders working on a construction site in the street stopped their work.
Mr Disson was 65 and is survived by four sons, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. A sixth grandchild is due in September.
He lived on the 10th floor of Grenfell Tower, which caught fire early on June 14, killing at least 80 people.
The Fulham FC fan was described as a “one-in-a-million dad” by relatives, who called him the “heart and soul” of his family. A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of fraudulently claiming to have lost family members in the Grenfell Tower disaster.
The 52-year-old man is thought to have attempted to gain money and housing by pretending loved ones had died in the blaze.
He allegedly came forward in the immediate aftermath of the fire and was assigned family liaison officers, claiming to have lost his wife and son in the fire.
He attempted to claim financial support stating he had lost all his property, Scotland Yard said.
Police started to investigate the man after inconsistencies in his story became apparent, and found he was living around 20 miles away in Bromley, south-east London.
They also found that he does not have a wife or child. Officers spoke to neighbours of the flat the man claimed to live in who said he did not live at the address.