A fire assessor who examined Grenfell Tower before the blaze that killed 72 people had “invented his qualifications”.
Carl Stokes reassured the fire brigade that new cladding on the 24-storey block met regulations two months before the disaster. The former firefighter had been paid almost £250,000 as a consultant by the organisation that managed housing owned by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
James Maxwell-Scott QC, for the council, said that an expert commissioned by the Grenfell inquiry had found that Stokes’s fire risk assessments contained “inaccurate and inconsistent statements”.
It concluded that his final assessment a year before the disaster “was not suitable and sufficient”. Stephanie Barwise QC, acting for survivors and families of victims, said that the former firefighter “lacked any professional registration and had invented some of his professional qualifications”.
The inquiry also heard that the council “prioritised cost over safety”, ignoring emails from residents raising concerns about the building’s fire safety.
