A con man pleaded guilty Thursday to posing as a victim of the horrific Grenfell Tower fire, falsely claiming his family died in the blaze which killed 80 people.
The 24-storey apartment building went up in flames on June 14; many people say officials were ignoring resident’s safety concerns because the tower building was home to a largely immigrant and working-class population.
British prosecutors said Anh Nhu Nguyen, 52, lied to authorities when he said his wife and son died in the fire.
In an earlier hearing, Judge Philip Bartle called the crime “a despicable offence.”
He allegedly claimed he also lost all his possessions which led to him receiving £12,500 (around CAD$20,900) in money and supplies – which included a hotel room, clothes, and food – from charities.
He also posed as a victim while Prince Charles visited the area, and was pictured shaking his hand.
He was caught after changing his story too many times; the BBC reports he used several apartment numbers, including one that belonged to another victim.
But prosecutors said they used location data from his phone, along with CCTV to place Nguyen nine miles from the scene, one day after the fire.
“This defendant succeeded in achieving money out of the misery and tragedy of people who, unlike this defendant, if he pleads guilty, genuinely suffered by this terrible fire,” he said at the time.
“Nguyen’s deceit in the aftermath of such a catastrophic loss of life was breathtaking,” crown prosecution spokesperson Kate Mulholland said, according to the Guardian.
“He was willing to lie again and again, adapting his story when it was questioned, in order to profit from the huge aid efforts and outpouring of sympathy for true victims.”
“The selfishness and manipulation Nguyen showed has horrified those whose job it is to help the true victims of Grenfell Tower.”
Nguyen, who was originally from Vietnam, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of making an untrue statement to obtain a passport.
He has 28 previous convictions for 56 offences and will be sentenced Dec. 15.
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