Son refused to testify at the trial in Hamburg

Trial in Hamburg

Christina Block’s son refuses to testify in court

In the kidnapping trial of businesswoman Christina Block, her son exercised his right to refuse to testify. Her sister’s testimony was postponed until December.

In the trial of Hamburg businessman Christina Block, her son, who was kidnapped from Denmark on New Year’s Eve 2023/24, will not testify. The eleven-year-old exercised his right to refuse to testify as a first-degree relative, a court spokesperson said.

Her now 15-year-old sister, who was also kidnapped from Block’s ex-husband’s care at the time, was originally scheduled to testify as a witness on Wednesday. It has now been reloaded to a mid-December date. A court spokesman could not say exactly when and under what conditions his daughter would have to testify. The public can be excluded from the interrogation of young people.

Christina Block, 52, is accused of ordering two of her four children to be kidnapped from the custody of her ex-husband, who lives in Denmark, during a custody dispute. The daughter of the founder of the Block House steakhouse chain, Eugen Block, denied this. Her life partner, former sports presenter Gerhard Delling, is said to have helped, among other things. The 66 year old man emphasized that he had done nothing wrong. The principle of presumption of innocence applies to everyone involved.

At the start of the trial in July, it was stated that the two kidnapped children should be co-plaintiffs in the trial against their mother. However, the High Court of the Hanseatic Region ruled in an urgent procedure that the boy’s confession in the joint prosecution and the appointment of legal counsel for him were inadmissible. A few days later, the Regional High Court also temporarily withdrew the recognition of her daughter as a co-plaintiff. The child’s father, Stephan Hensel (51), appeared as a plaintiff because he was beaten and injured during the kidnapping.