Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Michael Schumacher, Formula 1
Ryan Smart
A hard drive containing 'intimate' photos and medical files relating to Michael Schumacher is missing, a German court has been told.
A former member of Schumacher's security team, along with two other suspects, is on trial in the German city of Wuppertal accused of a £12 million blackmail plot against the Formula 1 legend.
German prosecutors allege, as per BILD, that a man addressed as Markus F, stole 1,500 photographs and 200 videos of the seven-time world champion, and that he used his 'trusted role within the family's security team' to access the media after he discovered he was being fired earlier in 2024.
It is alleged that Markus prepared a plan, along with the two others addressed as 'Yilmaz T' and 'Daniel L', to threaten to release the media on to the dark web if a ransom fee was not paid.
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Prosecutors claim that he could face a maximum jail sentence of up to 15 years if found guilty, though that punishment could be reduced as the threat was not followed through.
They allege that the family were alerted to the stolen material by Yilmaz T on June 3. Ransom demands allegedly followed in a separate email eight days later.
Three arrests were made on June 19 after Swiss authorities traced the caller's number.
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It is alleged that the stolen material in question was transferred to two hard drives and four USB sticks.
Yilmaz T is said to have told police that he stored the material at the homes of family and friends.
Police have recovered all four USB sticks and one of the hard drives - meaning one is still unaccounted for.
Schumacher suffered a serious head injury following a skiing accident in December 2013 and has not been seen in public since.
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He was placed in a medically-induced coma for six months until June 2014, and has since been recovering at home with his family.
Very few people have access to the Ferrari legend, who won 91 F1 races between 1993 and 2006, with his family fiercely protecting his privacy since the accident.
In October, BILD reported that Schumacher was 'very likely' present at the wedding of his daughter Gina in Majorca.
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It is claimed that guests were told to hand over mobile phones to the property's security to ensure that no images could be taken and then potentially leaked to the press. Schumacher hasn't been pictured since his accident, which occurred in the French Alps.
According to the same outlet, Schumacher's wife Corinna has filed a motion to 'exclude the public from the trial' if his current health state is brought up in order to protect his privacy.