Man in court in London over filming of Grenfell Tower effigy on bonfire

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/29/grenfell-tower-effigy-video-man-court-london

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A man who filmed an effigy of Grenfell Tower being burned on a bonfire told police it was a “stupid moment”, a court has heard.

Paul Bussetti, who is accused of sending a grossly offensive video on WhatsApp and causing footage of a menacing nature to be uploaded to YouTube, said he did not know why he took the footage.

In the video, which was played to Westminster magistrates court at the opening of the trial on Monday, laughter can be heard as a cardboard model of the building is placed on a bonfire and set alight.

Philip Stott, prosecuting, said Bussetti, 46, from South Norwood in south-east London, had been attending a friend’s bonfire with about 30 others on 3 November last year.

Various people had brought effigies of Guy Fawkes or other models, said Stott, and someone other than Bussetti had brought the model tower block with “Grenfell Tower” written on its side.

Stott said that while characters were depicted inside the tower, there were “some hanging off it as though they were falling”. He added: “Some of these appeared to be black or brown.”

In the footage, someone can be heard referring to a “ninja”, which Stott said the prosecution believed referred to a figure on the tower depicted as wearing a niqab.

Bussetti handed himself in at Croydon police station two days after the bonfire, by which time the video of the incident had been widely circulated online and featured on national news.

In comments to officers during an interview that were read to the court, Bussetti said he had “no idea” why he had taken the footage and sent it to two WhatsApp groups that had about 20 members.

“It was just sick. There was no purpose. It was just a horrible video,” he said. He said the incident had been “one of those stupid moments”.

“Not going to blame it on the drink, I don’t know why I done it but I didn’t think they would broadcast it,” he said. “It was just stupidness really. Everyone had a drink but, yeah, it was just complete stupidness.”

When police asked him how he felt watching the video, Bussetti said he felt “sick, not good, terrible”.

Seventy-two people died as a result of the blaze at the 24-storey block in west London on 14 June 2017.

Mark Summers QC, defending Bussetti, disputed that it was “grossly offensive” to send the material to the private groups. Summers said Bussetti did not intend for it to be put on YouTube, where it was uploaded by another user.