The burnt out Grenfell Tower building in London (June 15, 2017) (Photo: AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
London’s Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday it would lay criminal charges against 57 people and 20 companies over the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. It was Britain’s worst residential fire in recent history and 72 people died.
The individuals and companies are suspected of criminal offences, including culpable homicide by a company, culpable homicide by gross negligence, misconduct in a public office and fraud, police said.
The Met said it would soon present evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which handles public prosecutions in England and Wales.
According to the police, charges could be brought by June 2027 – ten years after the disaster.
The fire started in a faulty freezer unit and then quickly spread to the outside of the 24-storey building. The flames were aided by facade panels made of materials that burn easily. The facade panels are large panels that were attached to the building’s exterior walls during a renovation. Hundreds of residents lived in the tower block, in a poorer part of Britain’s wealthiest district.
-
-
Grenfell Tower, London Photo: David Mirzoeff/PA via AP
-
-
Grenfell Tower, London Photo: David Mirzoeff/PA via AP
-
-
Grenfell Tower, London Photo: David Mirzoeff/PA via AP
-
-
Grenfell Tower, London Photo: David Mirzoeff/PA via AP
A public inquiry report published in 2024 found the deaths were “all preventable” and blamed “systematic dishonesty” by construction firms, as well as failures by government and regulatory authorities.
Survivors have long accused the government and law enforcement of dragging their feet on criminal investigations and housing reforms after the disaster.
Grenfell United, which represents some of the survivors and victims, said the announcement was an “important step in a process that is already taking far too long”.
Kevin Southworth, an officer from the Met, admitted it had “taken a long time to get to this point”, but insisted “our time frames are on track”.
“The Grenfell Tower fire remains one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken by any UK law enforcement agency,” Southworth said.
“As the files are submitted, we will consider all the available evidence carefully, independently and in accordance with our legal test,” added Frank Ferguson of the CPS.
Southworth added that prosecutors were “confident” they could decide on charges before the tenth anniversary of the fire.