Man who claimed benefits after pretending to be gay lover of Grenfell Tower victim jailed
Syed Rinku gained access to NHS healthcare which was reserved for survivors of the fire
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A man who claimed benefits after pretending to be the gay lover of a Grenfell Tower victim has been jailed.
Syed Rinku was arrested on September 10 and later admitted to fraud by false representation as well as remaining in the UK illegally, the Isleworth Crown Court heard.
Originally from Bangladesh, Rinku lied about his relationship with one of the victims of the fire, which killed 72 people last year.
Following the fire, one the policies allowed immigrant residents who lost their homes in the fire a stable reality to stay in the country.
Prosecutor Ben Holt said: “As a result of his representations about being a resident in the tower, he was granted temporary leave to remain in the UK.”
Holt went on to reveal the Rinku received a prepaid credit card and spent £5,070.26 on it and also gained access to NHS healthcare which was reserved for survivors of the fire.
Rinku contacted the Kensington and Chelsea council in November last year and claimed he was in a gay relationship with one of the victims and said he spent time in Flat 204 and demanded he receive compensation and benefits.
Holt continued: “He said that he had come to the UK on January 9, 2005, having left Bangladesh because of issues he was having as a result of being homosexual.
“He said that he had been living in Flat 204 on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower since March 2015.”
Rinku received an 18-month jail sentence and was ordered to pay £4,044.36 in compensation to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.