The former Army physical training instructor has said he was helping build shelters in The Jungle camp in Calais when he got to know Bru.
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Earlier this week he explained how French police appeared to believe his story when they took Bru into the detention centre and she ran over to give him a cuddle.
The former Royal Corps of Transport soldier has previously described his actions in October as a “moment of madness”, but hopes the court will see that he “just tried to help a little girl”.
“France has an opportunity to show, as I know they are, a compassionate country”.
He said: “I’m going to have a few days off and then I’m going to raise the profile (of refugees) even more because we can not simply leave these children… we need to get these children now and into our education system because these guys are going to be doctors and lawyers and teachers if we get them now and educate them correctly”. There has been a (Parliamentary) Commons select committee hearing giving advice to the Government saying we should take 3,000 kids, I haven’t seen them doing anything about it.
The 49-year-old British father-of-four faces up to five years in jail and a 30,000-euro ($32,500, or 22,500 pounds) fine for aiding illegal immigration, in a case that goes to the heart of Europe’s dilemma over how to deal with its worst refugee crisis since World War Two.
Asked before the trial how he would react if sent to jail, Lawrie replied: “If I go to jail today…”
Ahmadi had been living with her father in the Calais camp, which is mired in mud and now home to at least 4,200 migrants trying to sneak into Britain.
He said: “One night, I think it was November 6 or November 7, I decided I would do what my brother had done”.
“I had told her father “no” many times”, Lawrie said in an interview last week with The Associated Press at his house in Guiseley, 210 miles (335 kilometers) north of London.
They were present as Mr Lawrie, who suffers from bipolar disorder and Tourette’s syndrome, told the packed court his business had failed, his marriage had broken down and he had tried to kill himself since his arrest.
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Bahar, who attended the trial with her dad, has been returned to the Calais “Jungle”.
