In this process kidnapping The Hamburg regional court wants to see important evidence such as photos and hear explanations from the parties involved in the case on Wednesday (09.30). The chief judge announced this.
Businessman Christina Block accused of giving orders to kidnap two of her four children from the care of her ex-husband, who lives in Denmark, on New Year’s Eve 2023/24 during a custody dispute. The daughter of the founder of the “Block House” restaurant 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.
Her then ten-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter were said to have been taken to Germany by an Israeli security company. An Israeli citizen (36), who is also a defendant, has fully admitted his involvement in the repatriation operation. Christina Block explained that the company was only assigned to check IT security at the Grand Elysée Hotel owned by the Block Group. The Israeli side carried out its own repatriation operation.
A decision regarding the bias application is still pending
The Hamburg Regional Court has scheduled a further date for the end of June 2026, so the process could take a year.
Decisions on bias requests made by some attorneys are still pending. The decision must be taken by another criminal chamber. The background is the subsequent judicial approval of cellphones, files and other items as evidence. The confiscated data carrier was only declared confiscated by the court during the trial.
By arguing that this evidence is critical because the defendants have not confessed, the court revealed its bias, defense attorneys for one of the Block family defendants said. It was clear that the court wanted to use this evidence to convict the defendant.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251112-930-280400/1
