A brutal Bulgarian gangster, who was caught in London in January on an alert from an investigation of The Sun, claims his human rights will be breached if he is extradited to his home country.

Tihomir Georgiev, 43, notorious for slicing off victims' fingers and ears, told the Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday that he was tortured by authorities in Bulgaria which, he said, are "corrupt at the highest level".

He also said his arrest warrant was sought by the Bulgarian government not the courts.

A date for a full extradition hearing is yet to be fixed.

Georgiev, who fled to the UK last summer, has been sentenced to 15 years in Bulgaria for stabbing to death a gang rival.

The brute is also being probed over the sickening torture killings of a drug dealer, the supplier's girlfriend and a journalist.

Two of the latest three murders he is being linked to by cops are those of drugs supplier Emil Kushev, 30, and his lover Billiana Naumova. Both were beaten, tortured with scissors and shot for failing to pay debts in Bulgaria in 2007.

The third victim is said to be journalist Boris Tsankov, who was later shot dead in the capital, Sofia, after blaming Georgiev.

Georgiev is believed to be a former associate of "Zlatomir Ivanov (aka Zlatko Baretata - The Beret, The Barret), a ruthless Bulgarian mafia boss who controlled a vast empire based on drug-dealing, prostitution and money-laundering.

In Bulgaria, Ivanov was sentenced in February to eight years behind bars in what is considered to be one of the most emblematic and high-profile organized crime cases here.

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