Hewa Rahimpur, a London shopkeeper charged with being a world individuals smuggler, has informed a Belgian court docket that "I am guilty, I have made mistakes but I am not a boss".
Rahimpur, 30, who has lived in east London since looking for asylum in Britain in 2016, is accused of main a prison gang that organized for migrants to be equipped with boats, engines and life jackets, every paying hundreds of kilos.
It's alleged that Rahimpur's gang introduced as much as 10,000 individuals throughout the Channel.
Addressing the court docket in Bruges, he denied organising the crossings and mentioned he had merely dealt with funds between migrants and smugglers.
Rahimpur, who faces 13 years in jail if convicted, mentioned he had first arrived in Britain after hiding himself in a lorry and had then moved to London to have "a simple life".
He mentioned he was launched to members of the people-smuggling gang after paying for his brother, who was severely unwell, to journey to Britain, through Belarus, Germany and France.
"It is our fate, as Kurds, to always migrate illegally," Rahimpur mentioned.
In a 25-minute lengthy handle to the court docket, made with out notes, he claimed there have been no messages on his telephone linking him to smuggling and in addition mentioned there have been "265 hours of recording of me by the UK's National Crime Agency and they don't have a single piece of evidence against me".
He admitted solely being a 'Havala banker', accepting cash from migrants, taking a fee, after which passing the cash on to the individuals who organised the small boat crossings.
He mentioned he handed on $159,000 (roughly £127,400) to smugglers in Turkey "but that is all I did - I have not mistreated anyone or done wrong to anyone".
"He told me he gets a commission, but that the money goes to the real organisers," his lawyer, Kris Vincke mentioned once we met.
"That money is going to the real leaders of the gang - I think that's in Turkey or Iraq, but the investigation didn't find those people."
Rahimpur sobs in court docket
Dressed in black shirt, darkish denims and trainers, Rahimpur wore headphones to hearken to a translation of the handle from Vincke, which was delivered in Flemish.
When Vincke talked about his sick mom and the prospect that Rahimpur could by no means see her once more, he slumped in his chair and sobbed.
Vincke argued in court docket that the precise gang leaders are primarily based in Iraq and Turkey and that Rahimpur had performed a purely administrative function.
He additionally mentioned that Rahimpur had been alone in a cell for 23 hours every day and had been so traumatised by his confinement that he had gone on starvation strike for 14 days as a protest.
But the prosecution on this case maintains Rahimpur truly performed a central function in organising individuals smuggling - not merely taking cash but in addition co-ordinating the supply of boats, engines, life jackets and different tools to ready teams of migrants, who had sometimes paid hundreds of kilos every.
Read extra:Suspected people-smuggling gang leader goes on trialInside trial of alleged key figure in smuggling group
It's a case that was allegedly corroborated by one other smuggler, a person referred to as Sangar Kamal, who was arrested and located with messages from Rahimpur on his telephone.
Kamal mentioned Rahimpur was the chief of the gang.
And it is also clear that there are many different questions that also linger round Rahimpur.
Sky News has learnt that, among the many defendants, Rahimpur is thought by one other title.
Several that we spoke to mentioned he was truly referred to as Hama Khoshnaw, and was initially from Iraq, reasonably than Iran.
Sources have additionally informed us they imagine he owns an costly property in Kurdistan, valued at round £1.5m.
'We did not know what was taking place'
In court docket, Rahimpur has been portrayed as a central determine in a sprawling, worldwide crime ring. And that has come as a shock to those that knew him as an unassuming, pleasant character in east London, the place he made his dwelling after claiming asylum in Britain in 2016.
Linda, a hairdresser in Ilford, rented out an area to Rahimpur, which he used as a meals kiosk. "It was just a sweet shop and he was paying his rent like normal," she mentioned.
"For two years, he was paying his rent normally. Everything was normal. He was like gold. I didn't know what was happening until my next-door neighbour from the chemist, texting me early in the morning to say 'your tenant is on London Crime'."
"We didn't know what was happening. We didn't believe it. It was shocking for all of us.
"Now I'm discovering out extra issues about him - on his contract, he isn't married. I did not know he had youngsters. But he at all times talked about his mum, however we by no means noticed her.
"I saw so many people go by, saluting him and talking to him and he was very nice to them. He was nice to everyone around here."
Vincke mentioned his consumer was "very anxious because he has lost everything" and was scared of a prolonged jail sentence. He hoped to return to Britain, mentioned Vincke, to be reunited together with his household.
If he is discovered responsible, that reunion might be a great distance off.
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