Latest news with #GrenfellNextOfKin
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Police 'are planning to build replica of the Grenfell Tower', grieving families reveal
Police are planning to build a full-scale replica of part of Grenfell Tower to secure criminal convictions, it has been reported. The Metropolitan Police has told grieving families that the model, which would take more than a year to build, will help explain how the fire spread in any future trials. However, families fear they may never 'see justice' with the length of time to get to trial has left them questioning whether the inquiry is complex for the force. A spokesman for Grenfell Next of Kin, which represents the close families of about half the deceased, told the Telegraph: 'The trust is broken in the Met Police and the systems. Now they want to build a tower and on and on it goes.' In a letter leaked to the newspaper, the police chief in charge of the investigation said it was 'essential' that the replica was 'built to detailed specification and full-scale to help juries understand the case'. The replica would have to be constructed inside a warehouse with juries taken to view it. No final decision has been made on whether the reconstruction will take place, Det Supt Garry Moncrieff, the senior investigating officer, said but the force wanted to let families know of the potential replica first. Det Supt Moncreiff wrote: 'As you more than anyone understand, this investigation has taken so long primarily because it is so complex. If there are future criminal trials, then those trials will take place before juries. 'The police, CPS, and our team of experts have spent a lot of time thinking about how we could best help those jurors understand really complicated evidence and technical topics. 'Part of my role is to work with the CPS, lawyers and experts to consider how best to present complex evidence to a jury, recognising that Grenfell Tower may no longer be there at the time of a trial.' The letter also reveals that the number of investigators working on the Grenfell Tower criminal inquiry was being increased to 180. This comes at a cost of almost £24million this year alone with the final police cost is likely to exceed £100 million. It was also disclosed that the police force was over halfway through sending preliminary reports to prosecutors. The reports so far total more than a million words with 'many thousands of statements, documents and exhibits' . By the end of September 2026, the force is planning to have submitted files on 20 separate organisations or companies, and the individual suspects connected to them. If all 20 files led to charges, it is not clear how trials would take place. In a statement, Grenfell Next of Kin said: 'Despite countless words spoken and hundreds of millions of pounds spent, and the immeasurable harm inflicted on the next of kin of those who died, what we have learned is that our justice system is fundamentally flawed. This investigation has clearly overwhelmed the Met Police.' A Met Police spokesman said: 'The Grenfell Tower fire is one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken by any UK law enforcement agency. The circumstances are highly unusual in that the criminal investigation and a public inquiry have been conducted at the same time, examining many of the same issues. Though both have examined the same tragedy, their purposes are different and are conducted to different legal standards. 'We cannot begin to imagine the impact that waiting for the outcome of our investigation must have on those who lost loved ones, those who survived, and all those affected by the tragedy. 'However, it is critical that we take great care to get this investigation right, and we have a dedicated team of 180 investigators, supported by leading experts, ensuring that we work as quickly as possible without compromising the quality of what we do. 'At the conclusion of our investigation, we will pass a file to the Crown Prosecution Service for charging decisions. That is an independent consideration for the CPS. 'However, we have recently explained to the bereaved, survivors and residents of Grenfell Tower that we are considering building a reconstruction of some elements of the building, to help future juries understand the evidence should charges be brought. That reconstruction will not impact upon the timescale of the police investigation.' In February it was reported that the west London block will be 'carefully' taken down over the next two years. What is left of the tower has stood in place in the years since the disaster, with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words 'forever in our hearts'. The 72 victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 are pictured as follows - (top row left to right) Mohammad Al-Haj Ali, Ya-Haddy Sisi Saye, also known as Khadija Saye, Anthony Disson, Khadija Khalloufi, Mary Mendy, Isaac Paulos, Sheila, Gloria Trevisan, Marco Gottardi, (second row left to right) Berkti Haftom, Ali Yarwar Jafari, Majorie Vital, Yahya Hashim, Hamid Kani, Jessica Urbano Ramirez, Zainab Deen, Nura Jemal, Jeremiah Deen, (third row left to right) Yasin El-Wahabi, Firdaws Hashim, Hashim Kedir, Debbie Lamprell, Ernie Vital, Sakina Afrasehabi, Denis Mur-phy, Raymond 'Moses' Bernard, Biruk Haftom, (fouth row left to right) Yaqub Hashim, Mehdi El-Wahabi, Ligaya Moore, Nur Huda El-Wahabi, Victoria King, Mo-hammed Amied Neda, Maria del Pilar Burton, Hesham Rahman, Gary Maunders, (fifth row left to right) Alexandra Atala, Vincent Chiejina, Steve Power, Rania Ibrahim, Fethia Hassan, Hania Hassan, Fathia Ahmed Elsanousi, Abufras Ibrahim (silhouette), Isra Ibrahim (silhouette), (sixth row left to right) Mariem Elgwahry, Eslah Elgwahry (sil-houette), Mohamednur Tuccu, Amal Ahmedin, Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin, Amna Mahmud Idris, Abdeslam Sebbar (silhouette) , Joseph Daniels (silhouette), Logan Gomes, (seventh row left to right) Omar Belkadi, Farah Hamdan, Malak Belkadi (sil-houette), Leena Belkadi (silhouette), Abdulaziz El-Wahabi, Faouzia El-Wahabi, Fatemeh Afrasiabi, Kamru Miah, Rabeya Begum, (eighth row left to right) Mohammed Hamid, Mohammed Hanif, Husna Begum, Bassem Choukair, Nadia Choucair, Mierna Choucair, Fatima Choucair, Zainab Choucair and Sirria Choucair Views on what should happen to the tower have varied, with the the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government acknowledging there had been hopes for some of it to be retained as a lasting memorial to what happened while others had reported this would be 'too painful'. The Government, while noting a feeling among some that the tower's presence is a reminder of the need for justice and accountability, also confirmed the lower floors will not be kept in place as the tower is 'carefully taken down to the ground'. Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with recommendations including a 'sacred space', designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. It is expected a planning application for a memorial could be submitted in late 2026. The blaze, which was the worst in Britain for more than a generation, was accelerated by deadly combustible cladding and many of those who died had been told to stay in their flats. It resulted in the deaths of 72 men, women and children, including multiple generations of the same families, living in the 120-apartment tower, built in Kensington - one of London's richest areas. The fire - the worst residential blaze since the Blitz - triggered mass protests about building standards, following months of concerns from Grenfell Tower residents about safety following its refurbishment. The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of 'decades of failure' by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
Times
07-05-2025
- Times
Police plan to build Grenfell Tower replica ‘will delay justice'
The families of people killed in the Grenfell Tower fire fear that a police plan to build a full-scale replica of part of the building will delay justice. Scotland Yard informed grieving families that the model, which will take a year to build, would aid future criminal trials by demonstrating to juries how the devastating fire spread. The plan, revealed in The Daily Telegraph, was included in a letter sent by the Metropolitan Police to families of the 72 people killed in the 2017 blaze at the west London high-rise. • Grenfell Tower will be 'sensitively' demolished, government says A spokesman for Grenfell Next of Kin, representing close relatives of half of the victims, told the newspaper: 'The trust is broken in the Met police
Telegraph
07-05-2025
- Telegraph
Police to spend a year building Grenfell Tower replica
Police are planning to spend more than a year building a full-scale replica of part of Grenfell Tower to secure criminal convictions, The Telegraph can disclose. Scotland Yard has told grieving relatives that the model would be used to help explain to juries how the fire spread in any future trials. But the length of time to get to trial has left families distraught and questioning whether an inquiry this complex was ever suited to a traditional police force. Grieving relatives told The Telegraph they feared they would now never 'see justice' over the botched refurbishment of the west London high-rise tower block that led to the most devastating fire in the post-war era. A spokesman for Grenfell Next of Kin, which represents the close families of about half the deceased, said: 'The trust is broken in the Met Police and the systems. Now they want to build a tower and on and on it goes.' In a letter to victims' families and survivors leaked to The Telegraph, the police chief in charge of the investigation said it was 'essential' that any replica was 'built to detailed specification and full-scale to help juries understand the case'. The replica would be too large for any courtroom and would have to be constructed inside a warehouse, with juries taken to view it. Det Supt Garry Moncrieff, the senior investigating officer, said no final decision had been taken to go ahead with the reconstruction, but recognising the sensitivities, police wanted to let families know of their plan first. 'Complex investigation' In the letter seen by The Telegraph, Det Supt Moncrieff said that the number of investigators now working on the Grenfell Tower criminal inquiry was being increased to 180 at a cost of almost £24 million this year alone. The final police cost is likely to far exceed £100 million. The senior investigating officer also disclosed that the force was a little over halfway through sending preliminary reports to prosecutors - some eight years after the blaze in which 72 people were killed. The preliminary reports so far submitted to prosecutors total more than a million words with 'many thousands of statements, documents and exhibits' provided as backup evidence. Police are planning to submit files on 20 separate organisations or companies, and the individual suspects connected to them, by the end of September 2026 – more than nine years after the fire in June 2017. It is unclear how many trials that would entail if all 20 files led to charges. But the prospect of court cases stretching into the 2030s no longer seems fanciful. In his letter to the bereaved, survivors and residents, Det Supt Moncreiff wrote: 'As you more than anyone understand, this investigation has taken so long primarily because it is so complex. If there are future criminal trials, then those trials will take place before juries. 'The police, CPS, and our team of experts have spent a lot of time thinking about how we could best help those jurors understand really complicated evidence and technical topics. 'Part of my role is to work with the CPS, lawyers and experts to consider how best to present complex evidence to a jury, recognising that Grenfell Tower may no longer be there at the time of a trial. 'In addition to our photographs, video recordings and 3D scans, we are exploring the possibility of building a replica of a small section of the outside of Grenfell Tower. This would enable us to show juries exactly what Grenfell Tower looked like when it was built and after it was refurbished. If we do build such a replica, I consider it essential that it is built to detailed specification and full-scale to help juries understand the case.' He added: 'It is important you are told first, even though the final decision to build the replica has not yet been reached. 'To build a replica this complex, to the accuracy required for a criminal case, will take over a year. If the CPS do take decisions to charge individuals, companies and/ or organisations, then it is important that we do not create any avoidable delays.' He said that if the replica was given the go-ahead, it 'will be built in a secure and private environment, in a way that will help future juries to understand the case. It is our intention that you would have the opportunity to visit it before any court cases take place'. He said it remained 'one of the MPS's [Metropolitan Police Service's] highest priorities', adding that 'as a result, the number of investigators working on the case has now risen to 180' from 160 in an attempt to stick to his deadline of submitting a full file of evidence by the end of September next year. He said the extra staff increased police costs to £23.8 million for the financial year April 2025 to March 2026. The Home Office is contributing £9.3 million. In his letter, Det Supt Moncrieff said 12 Early Investigative Advice [EIA] files would be submitted to the CPS by the end of last month, out of 20 being planned. 'The size of each file is significant,' he said, 'The covering reports of those first 12 EIA files alone, written by the police investigators, contain over a million words and are supported by many thousands of statements, documents and exhibits. The CPS and their team of lawyers will still need to see all of the final evidence brought together in order to reach charging decisions.' Some families have lost faith in the criminal justice system. Any charges have been hugely delayed by the public inquiry, put in place by the then-prime minister, Baroness May, in the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell fire, which took precedence and ran for seven years before publishing its final report in September last year. In a statement, Grenfell Next of Kin said: 'After nearly eight years, the immediate families of the deceased have encountered betrayal at every turn and a sense of exploitation regarding the loss of their loved ones, not justice. We need a more efficient justice system. 'Despite countless words spoken and hundreds of millions of pounds spent, and the immeasurable harm inflicted on the next of kin of those who died, what we have learned is that our justice system is fundamentally flawed. This investigation has clearly overwhelmed the Met Police.' Maria Jaffari, who survived the blaze but whose 82-year-old father Ali died, said: 'Nearly eight years have passed and we still have no justice. We don't know how many years it's going to take and no one knows who's going to be alive for justice. Maybe not me, maybe not my mother.' Karim Khalloufi, whose sister Khadija Khallouffi, 52, was killed, said: 'We need accountability and justice more quickly, not a list of excuses as to why they take so long. Maybe my mother will die before having justice for her child. Maybe I will die before seeing justice.' A Met spokesman said: 'The Grenfell Tower fire is one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken by any UK law enforcement agency. The circumstances are highly unusual in that the criminal investigation and a public inquiry have been conducted at the same time, examining many of the same issues. Though both have examined the same tragedy, their purposes are different and are conducted to different legal standards. 'We cannot begin to imagine the impact that waiting for the outcome of our investigation must have on those who lost loved ones, those who survived, and all those affected by the tragedy. However, it is critical that we take great care to get this investigation right, and we have a dedicated team of 180 investigators, supported by leading experts, ensuring that we work as quickly as possible without compromising the quality of what we do. 'At the conclusion of our investigation, we will pass a file to the Crown Prosecution Service for charging decisions. That is an independent consideration for the CPS. 'However, we have recently explained to the bereaved, survivors and residents of Grenfell Tower that we are considering building a reconstruction of some elements of the building, to help future juries understand the evidence should charges be brought. That reconstruction will not impact upon the timescale of the police investigation.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Grenfell United claim bereaved ignored on decision to demolish tower
Bereaved families have been told Grenfell Tower is to be demolished but concerns have been raised over how many loved ones were spoken to before the decision was taken. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, met with relatives and survivors on Wednesday evening. But Grenfell United, which represents some of the bereaved and survivors of the June 2017 fire, claimed the voices of many loved ones had been ignored. They said they had repeatedly urged housing secretaries over the years to 'consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the tower'. In a statement on Wednesday night, they said: 'Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the tower. 'She refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four-week consultation. 'But judging from the room alone – the vast majority of whom were bereaved – no one supported her decision. But she claims her decision is based on our views.' The Government has previously said there will be no changes to the west London site before the eighth anniversary of the disaster – which claimed 72 lives – in June. It is expected official details will be set out regarding the tower's future by the end of the week. What is left of the tower has stood in place in the years since the fatal fire, with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words 'forever in our hearts'. In a previous update, the Government said structural engineering advice remained unchanged 'in that the building (or that part of it that was significantly damaged) should be carefully taken down'. A spokesperson for Grenfell Next Of Kin, a separate group representing some bereaved families, said while the decision around the tower's future was 'obviously a very sensitive and difficult' one, families 'understand the hard facts around safety.' The spokesperson said Ms Rayner had 'announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed'. They added: 'For the next of kin of the deceased, that building is a shrine and the death place of their immediate families, their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children – but they understand the hard facts around safety.' But Grenfell United said the meeting 'showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision'. They added: 'Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved ones' gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable'. Views have varied on what should happen on the site, with some bereaved and survivors feeling the tower should remain in place until there are criminal prosecutions over the failings which led to the fire. The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of 'decades of failure' by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. The tower block was covered in combustible products because of the 'systematic dishonesty' of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said. He said the 'simple truth' is that all the deaths were avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were 'badly failed' by authorities 'in most cases through incompetence but, in some cases, through dishonesty and greed'. Police and prosecutors said, in May last year, that investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026. The near 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as 'unbearable'. Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower. In a 2023 report, the commission set out a series of recommendations for a 'sacred space', designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. It said the space should include a garden, a monument and a dedicated space for the private expression of grief and mourning for the families who lost loved ones. A shortlist of five potential design teams was announced last month, and a winning design team is set to be selected this summer. The commission said it expects the memorial design to be sufficiently developed to enable a planning application to be submitted in late 2026. A Government spokesperson said: 'The priority for the Deputy Prime Minister is to meet with and write to the bereaved, survivors and the immediate community to let them know her decision on the future of the Grenfell Tower. 'This is a deeply personal matter for all those affected, and the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Grenfell United claim bereaved ignored on decision to demolish tower
Bereaved families have been told Grenfell Tower is to be demolished but concerns have been raised over how many loved ones were spoken to before the decision was taken. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, met with relatives and survivors on Wednesday evening. But Grenfell United, which represents some of the bereaved and survivors of the June 2017 fire, claimed the voices of many loved ones had been ignored. They said they had repeatedly urged housing secretaries over the years to 'consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the tower'. In a statement on Wednesday night, they said: 'Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the tower. 'She refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four-week consultation. 'But judging from the room alone – the vast majority of whom were bereaved – no one supported her decision. But she claims her decision is based on our views.' The Government has previously said there will be no changes to the west London site before the eighth anniversary of the disaster – which claimed 72 lives – in June. It is expected official details will be set out regarding the tower's future by the end of the week. What is left of the tower has stood in place in the years since the fatal fire, with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words 'forever in our hearts'. In a previous update, the Government said structural engineering advice remained unchanged 'in that the building (or that part of it that was significantly damaged) should be carefully taken down'. A spokesperson for Grenfell Next Of Kin, a separate group representing some bereaved families, said while the decision around the tower's future was 'obviously a very sensitive and difficult' one, families 'understand the hard facts around safety.' The spokesperson said Ms Rayner had 'announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed'. They added: 'For the next of kin of the deceased, that building is a shrine and the death place of their immediate families, their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children – but they understand the hard facts around safety.' But Grenfell United said the meeting 'showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision'. They added: 'Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved ones' gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable'. Views have varied on what should happen on the site, with some bereaved and survivors feeling the tower should remain in place until there are criminal prosecutions over the failings which led to the fire. The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of 'decades of failure' by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. The tower block was covered in combustible products because of the 'systematic dishonesty' of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said. He said the 'simple truth' is that all the deaths were avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were 'badly failed' by authorities 'in most cases through incompetence but, in some cases, through dishonesty and greed'. Police and prosecutors said, in May last year, that investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026. The near 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as 'unbearable'. Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower. In a 2023 report, the commission set out a series of recommendations for a 'sacred space', designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. It said the space should include a garden, a monument and a dedicated space for the private expression of grief and mourning for the families who lost loved ones. A shortlist of five potential design teams was announced last month, and a winning design team is set to be selected this summer. The commission said it expects the memorial design to be sufficiently developed to enable a planning application to be submitted in late 2026. A Government spokesperson said: 'The priority for the Deputy Prime Minister is to meet with and write to the bereaved, survivors and the immediate community to let them know her decision on the future of the Grenfell Tower. 'This is a deeply personal matter for all those affected, and the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this.'
