Some dishonest people had used

[Bassim]

I am wondering if my sentences are grammatically correct.

Some dishonest people had used the earthquake to steal valuables from the destroyed homes. The victims were appalled to see these criminals use the tragedy to commit such heinous acts.

 

[emsr2d2]

Is there a particular reason for using the past perfect in the first sentence? Also, I'm not sure one can "use an earthquake" for anything. They might have used the result of the earthquake (destroyed houses) as an opportunity to steal.

 

[Bassim]

No. I wrongly believed it should have been used.

 

[Rover_KE]

Instead of 'criminals', you could use the word specific to perpetrators of this despicable crime — 'looters'.