Woman appears in court accused of Grenfell Tower fraud claims

Salma Said, 48, allegedly said she was a ‘resident’ of the high-rise block of flats on the night of the fire in June 2017 which killed 72 people.

Salma Said appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court (PA) (PA Archive)

A woman has appeared in court accused of falsely claiming to have lost her home in the Grenfell Tower fire in a series of alleged frauds totalling nearly £400,000.

Salma Said, 48, allegedly lied about being a resident of the high-rise block of flats on the night of the fire that killed 72 people in June 2017.

Another woman, 35-year-old Rawda Said, of Warwick Road, Kensington and Chelsea, west London, appeared alongside her charged with assisting an offender by providing a statement that backed up her story.

The 48-year-old, of Bishop King’s Road, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London, is also accused of making a dishonest claim relating to the Right to Buy housing scheme in Barnet in September 2017.

She attended Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday facing six counts of fraud by false representation between 2014 and 2018 totalling £389,500 and indicated not guilty pleas to all charges.

Alongside the two women in the dock were three others said to be linked to parts of the alleged offending.

Nura Abdulkader, 40, of Clifden Road, Hackney, is accused of one count of fraud for allegedly lying about living in Grenfell on 14 June 2017 in order to gain “housing and financial support”.

Makrem Harzi, 38, of Warwick Road, Kensington and Chelsea, west London, faces two counts of assisting an offender by allegedly providing statements supporting 48-year-old Said “with intent to impede (her) apprehension or prosecution”.

William Inglebright, 62, of Bishop King’s Road, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London, is accused of one count of fraud for allegedly claiming to meet the relevant criteria for the Help to Buy scheme in Barnet in May 2017 in order to be granted an equity loan.

Prosecutor Bharti Joshi told the court the case was not suitable for summary trial given the level of alleged culpability after each defendant indicated not guilty pleas to all offences.

Chair of the magistrates’ bench Lucinda Lubbock declined jurisdiction and released all five on bail ahead a further hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on March 27.