Nigerian man has been convicted for lying that two members of his family died in Grenfell Tower fire in North Kensington, West London.
The fraudster claimed his sister and nephew died in the Grenfell Tower fire to secure accommodation and more than £40,000, has been convicted of fraud in the U.K.
54-year-old Abolaji Onafuye, claimed the cash after telling volunteers he was related to two real victims of the fire. He was put up in a hotel for nearly a year before being moved to a flat.
The convict denied fraud, but was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court of two counts of frauds by false representation. He is due to be sentenced on 18 December.
The 14 June 2017 fire in Kensington, killed 72 people. Prosecutor Michael Phillips, said:
“Abolaji Onafuye had no connections to the Grenfell Tower tragedy but saw an opportunity to benefit himself, both financially and with accommodation.
Our prosecution was able to prove he had repeatedly and intentionally lied and that his post-arrest story that it had all been an innocent mistake was just an attempt to escape the consequences of his cruel deception.”
