Giving evidence at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, November 7, Kaana said he and his friends had been invited back to the couple’s home for an afterparty when a nearby pub, The Coppice, closed. He claimed he had given one of the men £30 for drinks, which was later reimbursed.
Kaana described a pattern of regular visits, explaining that the man confided in him about personal issues. “First he said he was having problems with his girlfriend, then he said he was having problems with gambling,” Kaana said. “He was like she is controlling and taking over his life. He didn’t really get into it. He had a previous gambling problem and she was controlling his money.”
He added that the man later proposed transferring money into Kaana’s account so he could receive cash without the girlfriend seeing it. “At the time I honestly didn’t think, I was like okay,” Kaana told the court.
Kaana denied ever contacting the woman, threatening either of them, or communicating via social media or a Nokia phone seized during his arrest.
He is also accused of demanding money from a third individual to settle the man’s brother’s drug debt. Kaana admitted he lived close to the man and regularly saw him on the street. He explained that the man’s brother had a cocaine addiction and owed money to multiple people.
Kaana said the man requested transfers to Kaana’s account so he could later receive cash, believing it would prevent creditors from seeing funds in his own account. “I said I don’t think that’s going to make sense but he was adamant that’s what he wanted me to do,” Kaana told the court.
Kaana, of Ernest Road, Sparkbrook, denies contacting the third man via social media or threatening him. He has pleaded not guilty to three charges of blackmail. The trial is ongoing.
