‘Unbearable’ wait for bereaved families for charge decision on Grenfell fire

Prosecutors say they need until the end of 2026 to decide on criminal charges over the disastrous 2017 blaze that killed 72 people.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the police owe it to those affected by the fire to get their investigation right (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

Bereaved families and survivors face waiting until the end of 2026 for a decision on potential criminal charges over the Grenfell Tower fire, nearly 10 years after the deadly blaze.

The Metropolitan Police said their investigators need until the end of 2025 to finalise their inquiry, and prosecutors will then need a year to decide whether charges can be brought.

Grenfell United, the bereaved families and survivor group, said the wait, which could stretch to a decade after the catastrophic 2017 fire that killed 72 people, was “unbearable”.

We need to see the people who perpetrated Grenfell held to account and charged for their crimes. The wait is unbearable

Grenfell United spokesman

A spokesman said: “Ten years until we see justice. Ten years until we see prosecutions.

“This should be shocking for everyone, but for us, we live our lives on hold while those responsible walk free.

“We need to see the people who perpetrated Grenfell held to account and charged for their crimes. The wait is unbearable.”

The report from the second stage of the public inquiry into the fire is due to be published later this year.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy told journalists on Wednesday that investigators will need another year to 18 months after the publication to finalise their inquiry.

Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Garry Moncrieff said investigators will need to go through the report line by line to assess the impact on their probe.

Rosemary Ainslie, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said prosecutors will need until the end of 2026 to make final decisions about any criminal charges.

The mammoth police investigation into the fire has already generated 27,000 lines of inquiry and more than 12,000 witness statements.

A total of 19 companies and organisations are under investigation for potential criminal offences, and 58 individuals, and more than 300 hours of interviews have taken place.

Potential offences under consideration include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, perverting the course of justice, misconduct in public office, health and safety offences, fraud, and offences under the fire safety and building regulations.

So far eight out of 20 files have been sent to the CPS for early investigative advice that would be passed back to police, with a typical case file more than 500 pages long with 17,000 pages of evidence.

The current timeline would mean it would be nearly 10 years before anyone could appear in court over the Grenfell Tower blaze.

We as the police have one chance to get this investigation done to the right standard, the right quality, and done the right way

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy

Up to the end of March this year, the Met has spent £107.3 million on the inquiry, and there are 180 investigators currently working on the case.

Mr Cundy said the publication of the report will be a landmark moment for the police and those directly affected by the fire.

He said: “Based on where we are now, our estimation is that it will take at least another 12 to 18 months, once the inquiry publishes its report, before we will be in a position to finalise in essence what many people would call the charging file for us to then pass across to… the specialist lawyers within the Crown Prosecution Service.

“I know that sounds such a long period of time.

“Seven years ago, we made a commitment to the bereaved and the survivors that we would follow the evidence wherever it would take us, we remain true to our word with that.

“We as the police have one chance to get this investigation done to the right standard, the right quality, and done the right way.

“We owe that to those who lost their lives, owe it to everybody who has been affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy.”

Ms Ainslie said: “Due to the sheer size and volume of the completed evidential files, we will need to take the necessary time to properly evaluate the evidence and to provide final charging decisions.

“It’s not possible to be definitive about timescales, but it would be our hope that by the end of 2026 we will be in a position where we are making final charges.”

In a briefing with journalists at New Scotland Yard on Wednesday, Det Supt Moncrieff acknowledged that the police inquiry is taking a long time but said it is “a really complex” investigation.

Officers have retrieved more than 152 million files and gathered 75,000 photos and 27,000 exhibits.

Forensic teams spent 415 days examining the tower itself after the deadly blaze and painstakingly gathering evidence.

Exhibits are being stored in an enormous warehouse that is big enough to store 25 double decker buses.

It includes the charred remnants of cladding panels that would have had molten plastic dripping down them while the building was on fire.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I understand and share the deep frustration of the bereaved, survivors, the local community and all those affected seeking justice following the appalling Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

“The Met have today set out their ongoing work to hold those responsible to account and will leave no stone unturned in their investigation.

“This sadly still means that those impacted could be waiting up to a decade after the fatal fire to see those responsible brought to account.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. It’s vital that investigators and the Crown Prosecution Service are given the resources they need for this unique investigation to progress as swiftly as possible.”