A
bogus Grenfell Tower fraudster, who claimed he was living in the
tower block when it caught fire, has been jailed for a £30,000 scam.
Muslim
Abolaji Onafuye, 54, later claimed his Ramadan fast caused temporary
insanity once his story had been exposed.
He
received £33,000 in accommodation and financial assistance from the
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and the Rugby Portobello
Trust charity.
Onafuye,
of Gorleston Street, West Kensington was convicted at Isleworth Crown
Court of two counts of fraud by false representation.
He
received five years imprisonment.
Onafuye
falsely claimed he lived on the 11th
floor of the council tower block and his brother died in the blaze.
During
the trial he said during his police interview he only claimed to have
been living in Grenfell as he was suffering from temporary insanity
caused by not eating during Ramadan.
He later alleged that he had been volunteering after the disaster and was rehoused as a result of suffering trauma during that time.
He later alleged that he had been volunteering after the disaster and was rehoused as a result of suffering trauma during that time.
Onafuye
also stated he had never claimed to live in Grenfell Tower and
disputed the evidence given by staff from various
organisations.
Detective Constable Carlos Araujo, who led the investigation, said: “Onafuye shamelessly took advantage of the support being offered to those who were directly affected by the Grenfell tragedy and he has continuously failed to own up to his deplorable actions.
Detective Constable Carlos Araujo, who led the investigation, said: “Onafuye shamelessly took advantage of the support being offered to those who were directly affected by the Grenfell tragedy and he has continuously failed to own up to his deplorable actions.
“We
will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who is exploiting
what happened at Grenfell and our thoughts remain with the real
victims of this tragedy.”
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