Cash mule accused couple are victims of deception, court told

A North Yorkshire couple accused of smuggling suitcases stuffed with £2.8m in cash from London to Dubai are the victims of a "massive deception", a court has heard.

Jo-Emma Larvin and Jonathan Johnson are among five accused of knowingly moving criminal cash via Heathrow flights.

The wider scheme saw a total amount of £100m moved abroad, the jury was told.

The pair, from Ripon, deny removing cash which they knew or suspected was the result of criminal activity.

Amy Harrison, 27, of, Worcester Park, Surrey, Beatrice Auty, 26, from Fulham, London and Liam Rabone, 29, from West Kensington, London, also deny the charge at Isleworth Crown Court.

The court heard model Ms Larvin, 44, and boyfriend Mr Johnson, 55, took eight cases on an Emirates flight on 9 September 2020, with Ms Larvin also accompanying Ms Harrison on the same journey two weeks earlier.

During his prosecution opening earlier in the trial, Julian Christopher KC told the jury that the 16 journeys the five defendants were alleged to have been involved in were part of a wider 85 trips arranged over an 18-month period by Abdulla Alfalasi, with about £100m moved in total.

He previously told the jury the defendants would travel business class to allow for extra luggage, with a letter from a company called Omnivest given to customs in Dubai while the cash was declared.

Addressing the court on Monday morning, Howard Godfrey KC, representing the couple, described his clients as "minnows" who were paid about £3,000 for making the journey with the cases.

"Neither Ms Larvin nor Mr Johnson had heard of Alfalasi as a criminal mastermind - they just see his name as a director of a company called Omnivest, an apparently legitimate gold company cleanly approved by Dubai customs," he told the jury.

Mr Godfrey said the jury had to decide whether the couple suspected the suitcases "represented someone's benefit from criminal conduct" at the point they reached the Emirates check in desk at Heathrow Airport.

"Our position is they are the victims of a massive and carefully-orchestrated deception," he told the court.

He later added: "What happened at the check in at Heathrow is something that you just don't hear of, the idea of somebody checking in massively overweight bags without a question.

"It has obviously been pre-arranged at a level way, way, way above the minnows - it just doesn't happen at international airports like Heathrow."

The trial previously heard Mr Johnson told officers the process had "all seemed legitimate" when he was interviewed and said he had not acted dishonestly.

The trial continues.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].