An alleged fraudster accused of conning a council out of £31,800 by pretending to live at Grenfell Tower was caught out after spelling its name wrong, a court heard today.
Shaffick Brimer, 50, raised suspicion with investigators when he misspelled the tower block as ‘Glenfell’ on housing claim forms, jurors were told.
The court heard he was offered the chance to spend several months at four star hotels in west London by the Royal Borough of Chelsea and Kensington council after pleading for help a month after the fire on 14 June 2017.
Shaffick Brimer stands outside Isleworth Crown Court on Monday. It’s claimed that Brimer, 50, conned the Royal Borough of Chelsea and Kensington out of £31,800 by claiming to be a resident in Grenfell Tower, following the devastating fire that killed 72 people in 2017
Isleworth Crown Court heard Brimer claimed he was subletting a room from a mother and son who were found ‘fused together’ after the inferno
Isleworth Crown Court heard allegations that Brimer claimed he was subletting a room from Marjorie Vital and her son Ernie, who were found ‘fused together’ in a final embrace in their bathroom.
Brimer is also said to have changed his story to explain why he only sought help after the fire, at first saying he had been in hospital at the time of the inferno and later admitting to being in prison.
Szilvia Booker, prosecuting, told Isleworth Crown Court: ‘Mr Brimer is charged with an allegation that he fraudulently misrepresented himself to the Royal Borough of Chelsea and Kensington officials.
‘He did that by representing himself as having been a Grenfell Tower at the time that we all know there was an inferno in that building.
‘You will hear about the reality of that inferno, the chaos that resulted when those 72 people perished.
‘A huge number were displaced by that fire.
‘There were survivors who had a legitimate reason to seek aid and officials had done everything they could to provide them with emergency accommodation and social assistance by those who were supporting them.’
The court heard Brimer first approached the council on 18 July and was given accommodation at the Park Plaza County Hall that day until August 7 totaling £5,384.
It was said he later moved to the Park Grand hotel, where he stayed until December 11, totaling £24,000.
A taxi fare he is alleged to have taken from volunteer Hagir Ahmed was £20.
The total fraud alleged amounts to £31,766.59p, the court heard.
Brimer was invited to speak with council officials on December 11 2017 after investigators were unable to find him on CCTV footage exiting the tower after the inferno, Ms Booker said.
She said: ‘No records said he was ever a resident at the tower. The details his GP surgery had for him were in Acton.
‘There were records of attending A&E on May 15 2017 and the other on July 9.. On both of those occasions, he was not admitted.
Shaffick Brimer, outside Isleworth Crown Court on Monday, denies fraud by false representation. Under police interview he said: ‘I don’t remember completing any application forms but I was drinking a lot at the time.’
‘Other databases were checked like housing benefits, DWP records.
‘Mr Brimer cited a resident at the tower who sadly perished in the fire, Marjorie, who he claimed to be subletting her flat from her.
‘Surviving members of her family were contacted by the police who said they had no knowledge of Mr Brimer.’
Ms Booker said that he had also claimed to have resided with others periodically at the tower, naming Antonio Roncolato, Raymond Bernard, Steve Power and Paul Menacer.
She added: ‘Not one of these flats seemed to know any record, any account or individuals associated with Mr Brimer having lived there.
‘You will hear how information was taken from a wide range of sources to trace contact of individuals lost and displaced.’
Ms Booker said Brimer claimed he paid Ernie Vital £40 or £50 in cash to rent a room in Marjorie’s flat.
She said: ‘He said he didn’t have his own key and he was not sure whether Marjorie survived the fire.
‘If you had been living in the flat, wouldn’t you want to find out any information about what happened to them?’
She added: ‘Mr Brimer cited his address on housing documents as 162 Glenfell.
‘It’s not with an “l” – it’s with an “r”.
‘That name is etched in everyone’s consciousness. You might think a resident wouldn’t make that mistake. Someone falsely representing having lived there might.
‘It might be because actually he doesn’t know it well enough to put it accurately because he had no association with it.’
Ms Booker said the Crown expects Brimer will defend himself by saying he believed the accommodation was a reward for the volunteer work.
He allegedly said in a statement to police: ‘I don’t remember completing any application forms but I was drinking a lot at the time.’
The prosecutor added: ‘The emergency accommodation was intended as you might think were for people genuinely displaced by the fire.
‘The assertions by Mr Brimer that he was displaced by the fire are simply false.
Brimer, of Acton, west London, who wore a crumpled shirt and black varsity jacket, was scolded by the judge for making repeated audible statements during the prosecution opening.
He denies fraud by false representation.
The trial continues.