ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-09-30 · by Mazoe Ford and Syan Vallance
Almost a decade since London's deadly Grenfell Tower fire disaster, police have asked prosecutors to consider charging 54 people and 20 companies and organisations.
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police → ask → people
Seventy-two people died, including 18 children, after a refrigerator electrical fault sparked a fire that ripped through the 23-storey social housing building in North Kensington in June 2017.
The public inquiry's final report in 2024 blamed the disaster on failings by the government, the construction industry and, most of all, the companies involved in fitting the exterior with flammable cladding that had been marketed as safe.
Senior police had said no criminal charges would be brought while the inquiry was underway.
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inquiry → die → cladding
Now, two years after its completion, the Metropolitan Police said it had asked the Crown Prosecution Service to consider charges including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety offences, fraud and fraud-related offences and misconduct in public office.
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it → say → office
Police have also submitted all their evidence files to prosecutors.
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Police → submit → prosecutors
Survivors and victims' families say it is a long-overdue but important milestone, which they hope will lead to prosecutions.
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they → say → prosecutions
"It's disappointing it's taken this long.
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it → take → ?
I mean it's nearly 10 years on and there's been no accountability, no charges, nothing's really changed if I'm brutally honest," survivor Marcio Gomes told the ABC.
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Gomes → mean → ABC
"Having said that, I know forensic elements do take time, so I would prefer they get things right rather than rushing a few things and then all of a sudden certain people can't get prosecuted because [police have] done things not quite in the right way."
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police → say → way
Mr Gomes, who lived on the 21st floor, is the father of Grenfell's youngest victim; his baby boy Logan was stillborn while his wife Andreia lay in a coma in the days after the fire.
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wife → live → fire
She survived.
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She → survive → ?
The couple's two daughters, Luana and Megan, were also in a coma and survived.
Mr Gomes said he wanted prosecutors to review the evidence thoroughly and "throw the book" at those they find to be responsible because they had "blood on their hands".
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they → survive → hands
'Tortuous' wait for accountability
Police have said the investigation has taken time because it has been "immense".
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it → say → time
Officers have analysed about 27,000 pieces of evidence and gathered 14,400 witness statements.
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Officers → analyse → statements
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth said it was a "milestone moment" in the police investigation.
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it → say → investigation
"We appreciate, of course, it has taken nine years to get to this point.
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it → appreciate → point
As we have said before, this is one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken by any UK law enforcement agency.
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this → say → agency
The scale is truly enormous," he said.
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he → say → ?
"While we know this has had a significant impact on those waiting for answers, it has necessarily taken this long to ensure our investigation is meticulous and presents the very best possible evidence to the CPS for charging decisions.
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investigation → know → decisions
The CPS has committed to making the charging decisions before the 10th anniversary of the fire in June 2027.
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CPS → commit → June
Any trials would be among the most complex in British history and could take years to get underway.
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trials → take → years
I would kind of almost use the word tortuous.
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I → use → word
It's just so painful having to wait so long," Grenfell survivor and campaigner Ed Daffarn told the ABC, adding that it was "particularly galling" the alleged perpetrators had been "able to get on with their lives" since the blaze.
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perpetrators → have → blaze
Journalist Peter Apps has published a book on the disaster.
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Apps → publish → disaster
"I think it's hard not to be surprised, when you put all the evidence together about Grenfell, how much was known by so many people," Apps said.
"There were many different parties who could have prevented this, and they had the information they needed to, which is why the inquiry, in the end, said every single death at Grenfell Tower was avoidable.
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death → think → Tower
"You just needed people to act on what they knew."
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they → need → what
Highly combustible cladding made of plastic and aluminium on the side of the Grenfell Tower meant the fire spread rapidly.
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fire → make → Tower
It remains on buildings around the world today, including in Australia.
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It → remain → Australia
"This was a global issue because these are global companies and multinational companies who are selling this product through global supply chains," Apps said.
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Apps → sell → chains
Lessons to learn
The fire was Britain's deadliest in a residential building since World War II and prompted a national reckoning over building standards and the safety and conditions of social housing for low-income communities.
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fire → learn → communities
Mr Daffarn had flagged concerns about building maintenance and fire safety with building management and the local council before the fire.
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Daffarn → flag → fire
"As I stood underneath the smouldering embers of Grenfell Tower in the days after the fire, I was convinced that it would be the catalyst for change, for proper change," Mr Daffarn said.
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Daffarn → stand → change
"[But] standing here nearly 10 years after that event, I'm very sad to say that that change has not really occurred.
"
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change → stand → event
It wouldn't be right to say no lessons have been learned, because some lessons have been learned, but people in social housing are still not treated with dignity and respect, there are still people up and down the UK living in dangerous buildings, and the construction industry has not reformed itself in the way that it needs to."
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it → say → way
Grenfell Tower is being demolished, but police are building replicas of parts of it to help future judges and juries understand what happened and who might be to blame.
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who → demolish → it
Mr Gomes fought back tears as he told the ABC he felt compelled to keep campaigning for Grenfell survivors and victims' families for two reasons: to honour the memory of baby Logan and push for change.
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he → fight → change
"There's still a lot of work to be done to make sure it never happens again," he said.
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he → be → work
The Aporia
