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Judge 'illegally employed' woman Cleaner denies judges blackmail
(about 3 hours later)
An immigration tribunal judge knew her Brazilian cleaner was working illegally in the UK, the Old Bailey has heard. A Brazilian cleaner accused of blackmailing two judges who she had worked for illegally has denied the charges she is facing.
Roselane Driza, 37, had worked for two judges, a man and woman known in court as I and J, but both later sacked her. Roselane Driza, 37, admitted asking for £20,000 from a female judge, but said it was compensation for "racism and discrimination" she had suffered.
Ms Driza is accused of blackmailing both and stealing videos from one of them. She told the Old Bailey she had been sacked without reason after five years.
Giving evidence in her defence, she said that when J employed her the judge was aware of her immigrations status but did not alert the authorities. Ms Driza denies threatening to expose both judges for employing her and stealing sex videos from one of them.
'Pale and trembling' The judges, colleagues at the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, both employed her as a cleaner, the trial has heard.
The court was told that Ms Driza had also worked for judge I. It has been claimed she told the female judge, known in court as J, that she was a student who had been granted refugee status when she was employed.
After being sacked by him, Ms Driza and the judge became lovers, she said. But Ms Driza told the court that when J had employed her, she knew her visa had expired and suggested Ms Driza see one of her friends to help.
Ms Driza said she was unaware that I and J had also been having a relationship. She said she did not have to answer me because she was a judge and I was a cleaning lady Roselane Driza
Later, when she was in a flat belonging to I, the woman judge, J, came round to see him. Speaking through an interpreter she told the trial on Friday she had been sacked over the phone, after working for J for five years, without explanation.
He had refused to answer the door to her and was "pale and trembling", she said. When she phoned back to ask why, the judge flew into a rage and screamed abuse at her, the court was told.
The case continues. "She said she did not have to answer me because she was a judge and I was a cleaning lady," Ms Driza told the court.
The trial has heard that a male judge known in court as I, then decided to terminate her employment with him, because of his friendship with J - with whom he had previously been in a relationship.
But he then struck up a relationship with Ms Driza and kept it secret from J, the trial has heard.
Ms Driza told the court she had been round at I's flat on Boxing Day 2004 when J came round and started demanding to be let in, knocking on the door so hard "she seemed like a volcano".
She said J had later told I that Ms Driza was just interested in his money and position, and told him Ms Driza was "always drunk" and used to "sleep with two men at the same time".
She admitted asking for £20,000 in compensation "for the way I had been treated, racism and discrimination, my distress and the calling of names and the bad words".
"All the damage - psychological. There is no money that could pay."
Ms Driza said it was Judge I who suggested the £20,000 figure to her, and she "always listened to him".
The trial continues.