A 26-year-old man accused of blackmailing three individuals out of thousands of pounds has told a Birmingham Crown Court jury why these people transferred large sums of money to his bank account.
Twaha Kaana, from Sparkbrook, faces charges related to allegedly pressuring a couple into paying him £7,000 between 2020 and 2021. According to the allegations, Kaana arrived uninvited at the couple’s flat in Rednal and initially requested £100 to cover drinks he had bought. However, during his testimony on November 7, Kaana claimed he and his friends had been invited back to the couple’s home for an afterparty when the nearby pub The Coppice closed.
Kaana said he gave the man £30 for drinks as “the least you can do,” stayed for around 90 minutes, and then returned home. The man later reimbursed him. The defendant explained that he frequently saw the man during that period, who confided personal problems regarding his girlfriend and gambling struggles. Kaana described how the man said his girlfriend was controlling his money and life. Following this, the man asked Kaana to receive money transfers into his bank account so that he could withdraw cash and keep the transactions hidden from his girlfriend. Kaana claimed he agreed without fully considering the implications.
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Kaana denied ever threatening the couple, contacting them on social media, or using a Nokia phone seized during his arrest to communicate with them.
In a separate incident, Kaana is accused of demanding money from another man to help pay off Kaana’s brother’s drug debt. He admitted living nearby the man and regularly seeing him on the street. Kaana testified that the man’s brother was a cocaine addict with many people pursuing him. The man reportedly asked Kaana to receive money transfers into his account so he could pay back debts in cash, avoiding detection by those demanding money. Kaana expressed doubt about this plan but said he complied at the man’s insistence. He also denied threatening or contacting this man on social media.
Kaana has pleaded not guilty to three counts of blackmail. The trial is ongoing.