Files on #GrenfellTower cladding ‘lost forever’ after deletion from laptop. How convenient!
Up in smoke: Grenfell Tower after the fire that killed 72 residents. Emails and documents on the refurbishment that put flammable cladding on the building has been found to have been destroyed.
Emails, documents and design drawings relating to the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower that put highly flammable cladding on its walls have been lost forever after being deleted from a laptop, the inquiry into the 2017 disaster has learned.
Design manager Daniel Anketell-Jones, who worked for cladding specialists Harley Facades until March 2016, told the hearing he erased his work computer of all files after agreeing to keep the device despite leaving the firm.
Harley managing director Ray Bailey said… “Daniel Anketell-Jones… left Harley some months before the fire.
“By that stage he had both deleted all of his Harley related emails from his laptop and had arranged with our service provider to remove his email file from our systems.”
Asked about this by inquiry lawyer Kate Grange QC, Mr Anketell-Jones said: “I don’t know what he means by that.
“I didn’t arrange for that to happen. I don’t think I would have the authority or the security to do that.”
How convenient for this firm – directly involved in the refurbishment that turned Grenfell Tower into a tinderbox – that this documentation has similarly gone up in smoke.
Email dialogues that are now lost could have cast light on whether designers were aware that the cladding was a danger to the lives of everybody living behind it (72 of those lives were lost in the blaze).
The deletion may have been entirely innocent – but it looks deeply suspicious.
And it creates another obstacle for the inquiry, that is trying to determine where ultimate responsibility for the deaths lies.
Source: Grenfell files ‘lost forever’ after laptop wiped, inquiry hears | London | ITV News
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Hmmm there is is always trace of whot was on there before unless they paid someone very good to erase it but just just deleting doesn’t rid the hard drive of it
As this website says, it’s a struggle to believe that these files were only ever on one laptop, that nobody ever backed them up and they were never emailed to anyone.
https://www.facebook.com/BenefitFraudVSCorporateFraud/photos/a.643795742331227/3521949644515808/
That’s not the way companies work. Everything is backed up. Even people who are rarely in the office are asked to bring a laptop in now and again for backup. And if a company agrees that someone can keep the laptop when they leave, the files are always backed up before the hard drive is wiped clean. Someone is lying. Again.
Data recovery used to be about 1000 pounds, probably a bit more, most times a deleted file can be got back, maybe they should send his laptop of for retrieval
Looks very dubious to me.
This firm has ISO 9001:2000 quality accreditation which covers things like record storage – including electronic and probably Health & safety standards
This firm has to be able to give warranties for work done – This is typically at least 10 years ( possibly more for this sort of work) or so and it has insurance for this, if the firm is found to at fault for bad workmanship usually with the condition they have followed their own quality standards.
It would also need to show the work was performed safely and was safe.
i.e Adequate H&S Risk assessments and risk mitigation performed at all points – design and execution
They means they likely have to keep all records at least for the length of time of the warranty otherwise the insurance will not likely pay out, as the insurance firm won’t be able to show the firm was not at fault if possible and they also need to show that Health & safety procedures were followed at all times.
Motive for “losing” the records?
Avoidance of providing evidence of H&S failings and prosecutions.
Avoidance of providing evidence the firm was at fault – their insurance only covers them for £5,000,000 and Grenfell could cost a lot more?