Michael Schumacher and his household had been blackmailed for near £13million by a gang who’d stolen non-public pictures of the Components 1 icon, who was final seen in public 12 years in the past
Greater than 1,000 pictures and movies exhibiting Michael Schumacher within the years following his horrific snowboarding accident are nonetheless lacking. Components 1 legend Schumacher has been shielded from public view since 2013, along with his household working tirelessly to maintain his situation non-public.
The German suffered life-changing accidents when he hit his head on a rock whereas snowboarding within the Alps. Schumacher, 56, was positioned right into a medically induced coma for a number of months earlier than being moved to his household’s dwelling on Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
However even by his devoted household’s aspect – specifically spouse Corinna, son Mick and daughter Gina-Maria – folks have tried to take advantage of them. Earlier this yr, three males had been discovered responsible of utilizing the pictures and movies to blackmail the Schumachers for almost £13million.
The case has this week returned to courtroom for a retrial, as his family members combat for harder sentences and two of the lads attraction their convictions. Greater than 900 pictures and nearly 600 movies, in addition to confidential medical data, had been digitally smuggled out of their home.
The delicate content material was saved on two laborious drives and 4 USBs. Police seized all however one of many laborious drives which is but to be discovered. Prosecutors subsequently cannot affirm whether or not anybody else holds copies of the stolen information.
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Bodyguard Markus Fritsche, who labored within the household’s dwelling for eight years, was discovered to have handed the laborious drives to nightclub bouncer Yilmaz Tozturkan, who was 53 on the time of the decision, and his 30-year-old son.
Tozturkan then threatened to launch every part on the darkish net except the Schumacher household paid him €15m (£12.8m) in ransom cash. After showing in courtroom in February, Tozturkan was jailed for 3 years whereas his son was given a six-month suspended sentence for aiding and abetting extortion.
In the meantime, Fritsche, who’s denied any involvement within the crime, was slapped with a two-year suspended jail sentence, punishment which the Schumachers described as ‘disgracefully lenient’ and are actually difficult. In an announcement, Corinna spoke concerning the ‘huge breach of belief’ and blamed Fritsche, who alongside Tozturkan is interesting his sentence, for masterminding the plot.
“We’ve got appealed towards what we take into account to be the far too lenient sentence for Mr F,” Corinna mentioned. “For my part, he was the mastermind behind this.
“What nonetheless shocks me most is the large breach of belief. He ought to obtain a punishment that deters any potential copycats.”
Fritsche had been working for the household for 18 months previous to Schumacher’s accident. In line with the defence, Corinna had requested him to digitise the household’s non-public pictures, arguing that the fabric had gone lacking after his contract was terminated.
The retrial started on Friday within the German metropolis of Wuppertal. 5 hearings are scheduled between now and early December, because the twelfth anniversary of the final time that the general public had been capable of catch a glimpse of the seven-time world champion approaches.
