Day: June 29, 2017

    A 52-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of fraudulently claiming to have lost family members in the Grenfell Tower disaster. He is alleged to have attempted to gain money and housing by pretending relatives had died in the blaze. It is alleged he came forward in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy and family liaison officers were assigned to him after he claimed he had lost his wife and son in the fire. Scotland Yard said he attempted to claim financial support after stating he had lost all his property. Police launched an investigation after there were inconsistencies in the man's stories. They also spoke to residents of the flat within Grenfell Tower where he claimed to live who said he did not live at the address. :: Grenfell judge: Inquiry into tower fire w...

    A six-month-old baby was found dead in her mother’s arms after the Grenfell Tower disaster, in which at least 80 people died or are missing presumed dead, an inquest has heard. Leena Belkadi’s body was found in a stairwell between the 19th and 20th floors of the 24-storey high-rise block, Westminster coroner’s court was told. The coroner’s officer, Eric Sword, said she was “found in her mother’s arms. Leena’s sister, Malak, aged eight, who was recovered from the 20th floor, where the family lived, and taken to St Mary’s hospital, also later died. The cause of death for both sisters was given as inhalation of fire fumes. The girls’ parents, Farah Hamdan and Omar Belkadi, also died in the blaze and inquests into their deaths have already been opened and adjourned. Another da...

Tower Hamlets Council's CCTV caught a criminal stabbing an on-duty plain clothes police officer and helped put him behind bars. Andrew Beadie, 20, of Claremont Road, Basildon embarked upon a series of violent assaults on 22 November 2016 that were captured by eagle eyed council officers. Beadie stabbed a police officer with a ten inch blade in an alleyway near the Bow Bells Pub in Bow Road, E3 on 22 November 2016. At the Old Bailey on Friday, 16 June, he was found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment with a further two years on extended license. He showed no remorse throughout his interview with the police and in his evidence to the jury. The jury also heard that Beadie punched another man to the ground in Bow Road, E3 in an unprovoked attack o...

Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras will be worn by more than 500 frontline police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in Tower Hamlets to speed up the justice process for victims of crime and make policing more transparent. The initiative is will be issued to all 32 London boroughs and a number of frontline specialist roles, including firearms officers, over the coming months. The cameras are attached to police officers' uniforms and are used to provide factual evidence of the way investigations are handled. John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets said: "I am pleased to see the police are introducing body worn cameras in our borough. The cameras will help increase transparency and confidence in the police as they have with our council Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers who already...

Emergency services alerted Tower Hamlets Council to a fire at Dickinson House,  E1 on 24 June. All 16 dwellings managed by Tower Hamlets Homes (THH) were evacuated by the London Fire Brigade. A rest centre for residents affected by the fire was quickly set up by the council. Staff from the council and THH provided food, hot drinks, a safe space and support to meet residents' needs during the evacuation. We are offering hotel accommodation to everyone who needs it. The fire brigade is still investigating the cause of the fire, but it is unrelated to the building's cladding. The roof of the building has been destroyed and the fire has burned out two flats. One resident was treated for smoke inhalation and is now recovering. John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: This was a terrible incide...

Local Infrastructure Fund (LIF) consultation launched Mayor John Biggs is leading a call for Tower Hamlets residents to give their views on the infrastructure priorities and projects they would like to see funded in their local areas. The local authority is consulting on a Local Infrastructure Fund (LIF) which is funding sourced from developers to address the needs development can place on an area.  A series of drop-in sessions where residents can suggest a project to be paid for by the LIF will take place across the Borough next month. Officers will be on hand to provide advice and guidance on the LIF consultation at the drop-ins and area profiles have been devised in order to give people a clear understanding of the type of projects currently planned in their local area.  Mayor John Bigg...