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| Grenfell Tower conman Anh Nhu Nguyen jailed for family deaths lie | Grenfell Tower conman Anh Nhu Nguyen jailed for family deaths lie |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A serial conman has been jailed for 21 months after pretending his family died in the Grenfell Tower fire. | A serial conman has been jailed for 21 months after pretending his family died in the Grenfell Tower fire. |
| Anh Nhu Nguyen, 53, from Beckenham, claimed his wife and son were killed in the blaze in order to obtain about £12,500 from funds meant for victims. | Anh Nhu Nguyen, 53, from Beckenham, claimed his wife and son were killed in the blaze in order to obtain about £12,500 from funds meant for victims. |
| He even met Prince Charles as he posed as a survivor of the tragedy. | He even met Prince Charles as he posed as a survivor of the tragedy. |
| Kim Taylor-Smith, deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, described Nguyen's actions as "crass beyond words". | Kim Taylor-Smith, deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, described Nguyen's actions as "crass beyond words". |
| Nguyen previously admitted two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of making an untrue statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport. | Nguyen previously admitted two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of making an untrue statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport. |
| His defence barrister, Keima Payton, said a report compiled by a psychologist found Nguyen had an "astonishingly low" IQ that placed him in the bottom 2.5% of people in Britain. | |
| The report also found he was suffering from "long-term, untreated post-traumatic stress disorder", depression and low empathy. | |
| No emotion | |
| It concluded that part of why he had acted was to "feel part of a group, to be looked after, wanted and welcome", she said. | |
| In the wake of the disaster - which claimed the lives of 71 people - Nguyen was given a hotel room, clothing, food, electrical items and money after pretending to be one of the survivors. | In the wake of the disaster - which claimed the lives of 71 people - Nguyen was given a hotel room, clothing, food, electrical items and money after pretending to be one of the survivors. |
| Nguyen was discovered to be a fake when he gave several different flat numbers in the tower, some of which did not exist and one where a real victim lived. | Nguyen was discovered to be a fake when he gave several different flat numbers in the tower, some of which did not exist and one where a real victim lived. |
| He showed no reaction as he was sentenced by Judge Philip Bartle QC at Southwark Crown Court. | |
| Judge Bartle told Nguyen he committed the crimes "knowing full well what the consequences were". | Judge Bartle told Nguyen he committed the crimes "knowing full well what the consequences were". |
| The judge added: "I do not accept that the acts were in some way an attempt to be part of a community and that you were in some way reaching out in order to be embraced by that community. | The judge added: "I do not accept that the acts were in some way an attempt to be part of a community and that you were in some way reaching out in order to be embraced by that community. |
| "You knew that you were taking advantage of these genuine victims at the terrible time of this terrible tragedy." | |
| Reacting to the sentencing, Mr Taylor Smith said Nguyen's fraudulent claims made the council's job "even tougher and more complex than it already is". | Reacting to the sentencing, Mr Taylor Smith said Nguyen's fraudulent claims made the council's job "even tougher and more complex than it already is". |
| He added: "More shockingly, it causes anxiety, anger and stress for many of the families who lost everything in the tragedy." | He added: "More shockingly, it causes anxiety, anger and stress for many of the families who lost everything in the tragedy." |