A Sutton woman who pretended to be the widow of a Grenfell Tower fire victim so she could falsely claim money and housing has been convicted of fraud.

Joyce Msokeri, 46, of Ambleside Gardens, was found guilty on three counts of fraud and one count of possession of false ID at Southwark Crown Court today (March 15).

She gave a fake name to relief works in order to obtain food, clothing, money, and a month’s worth of accommodation in a Kensington hotel, despite living in a flat in Sutton.

Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Bonner said: “The distress and suffering caused to so many that night in June is harrowing.

“People lost their homes, all their possessions, and tragically their families and loved ones. It is terrible that this individual should try to profit from the pain of others.

"Not only did Msokeri take money, housing and clothing intended for genuine victims, she diverted police resources away from those who most needed it.”

She claimed to have moved into Grenfell Tower last February to live with her apparent husband, who she said died in the tragic fire, only to then tell investigators he had survived and was living in a cave in Margate being fed by tourists.

Msokeri, whose fraud totalled £19,000, even went as far as admitting a vulnerable man into a mental health ward to support her story.

A Met Police investigation found inconsistencies in her story and discovered she was not currently married and does not have a husband or sister-in-law.

Detective Constable Ismail Mattar, the investigating officer, said: “Msokeri’s actions in the aftermath of this horrific event are inexcusable. She claimed falsely that she had lost relatives to make sure she profited from the support intended for the true victims of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.

"She went to great lengths to fabricate an elaborate story about her escape from the tower."

The 46-year-old came forward right after the fire and provided a ‘very detailed’ account of how she had gone to help her invented husband’s sister on another floor, where she had been given a wet towel to shield her face.

It was after the incident that she claimed financial support after saying she had lost all her property.

Now the Crown Prosecution Service will apply for the money and items claimed already seized to be permanently stripped from Msokeri and donated back to charity.

The CPS’s Kate Mulholland said: “Joyce Msokeri gave a variety of different stories to try to dishonestly profit from the aid meant for the real victims of this tragedy.

“She tried to persuade others to give information which might back up her evolving lies but in the end she was unable to keep up all the pretence.

“Msokeri will now have to accept the consequences of her dishonesty, which saw money diverted from the true survivors of the Grenfell fire. They, like everyone else, will no doubt be appalled at her actions.”

She will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on April 6.