A brutal Bulgarian gangster, who was caught in London in January on an alert from an investigation of The Sun, continues to build up his case in court against extradition, saying he will be tortured in his home country.

The solicitor of Tihomir Georgiev, 43, notorious for slicing off victims' fingers and ears, told Westminster Magistrates' Court they would fight extradition.

"There are good foundations for torture and we will fight them in court. We will be bringing in an expert in Eastern Europe, a political scientist from the University of London, to give evidence," solicitor Robert Katz told the court on Monday, as cited by local media.

Prosecutor Hannah Hinton told the court that Georgiev, who is on legal aid, was also using the Human Rights Act to oppose deportation.

A month ago Georgiev, also known as Tisho the Boxer, told Westminster magistrates court that he was tortured by authorities in Bulgaria which, he said, are "corrupt at the highest level".

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 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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