A man who blackmailed a Birmingham couple out of nearly £10,000 and forced them to leave their flat has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison.
Twaha Kaana, aged 27, targeted the couple after they refused him entry to a house party held at their home in Rednal. He initially demanded £100, claiming it was compensation for drinks he had purchased. What began as a small demand escalated into 60 transactions, draining the couple’s finances almost a hundredfold.
Over the course of nine months, Kaana subjected the couple to relentless threats, including warnings that he would shoot the man with a crossbow and blow up the woman’s car. His intimidation tactics also involved showing up at their flat uninvited. The constant fear and financial strain ultimately drove the couple apart, with the woman relocating away from Birmingham, fearful of ever returning.
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At Birmingham Crown Court on January 14, Judge Paul Farrer KC condemned Kaana’s use of his physical presence to bully his victims. The judge remarked, “You used your stature to intimidate and coerce vulnerable individuals into giving you money.”
The couple initially handed over £100 in August 2020, hoping it would be the end of the ordeal. Instead, Kaana exploited their vulnerability, repeatedly demanding money and threatening violence. Despite the threats, Kaana never carried out physical attacks, but his terrorizing tactics left lasting harm: the woman suffered a miscarriage linked to the stress, and their savings for a house deposit were wiped out.
The victims finally approached the police in May 2021, however by then they had exhausted all resources and had been forced to rely on relatives for basic necessities.
Kaana, originally from Burundi and raised in the UK since age three, had previously worked in security before losing his job during the Covid-19 pandemic. His lawyer acknowledged financial difficulties contributed to his offenses but stressed that he has not reoffended since his arrest.
Along with his prison sentence, Kaana was ordered to pay £600 compensation to the victims, which was recovered from cash seized at the time of his arrest.