Michael Schumacher medical record theft suspect was found dead in police cell hours before meeting with judge

A suspect accused of stealing and leaking Michael Schumacher's medical records was found hanged in his cell just a day after being detained.

Schumacher, the joint-most decorated driver in Formula One history, was involved in a horror skiing accident while with his son Mick in the French Alps back in 2013, just a year after he retired from the sport.

After hitting his head on a rock, the German was immediately airlifted to hospital and underwent two surgeries before being placed in a medically-induced coma until June 2014. Receiving regular care from medical professionals and his wife Corinna, Schumacher is understood to have difficulty communicating after suffering the serious head and brain injuries.

His family have been able maintained a strict level of privacy after the horrific ordeal but in August 2014, a man whose identity was not disclosed, was arrested on suspicion involvement in the theft and leaking of a Schumacher medical file.

Rega, a Swiss air helicopter firm, were responsible for the seven-time F1 champion's transport from a French hospital to Lausanne, Switzerland five months after the accident.

Although the operation was secret, it emerged that some of Schumacher's medical records were stolen and being offered to media outlets to publish for a fee of £40,000.

French prosecutors looking into the case tracked the IP address of the computer used in the theft and violation of professional secrecy and it uncovered it belonged to Rega - who confirmed they had access to the file to ensure the transfer was smooth.

Michael Schumacher has not been seen in public since his 2013 accident. Image: Getty

An executive at Rega was arrested and interviewed by police but a day on and having denied all wrongdoing, he was found dead in his Zurich police cell prior to a hearing with a judge.

Officers found the man hanged while bringing breakfast and an investigation concluded that no other persons were involved.

Michael Schumacher's family were subject of blackmail plot

Schumacher's family have kept a close circle of those who are able to visit him but there was another violation of trust and recent blackmail plot.

Earlier this year, three man were found guilty of threatening to release 'intimate medical images', videos and records unless a fee of £12 million was paid.

Markus F, A former security guard of Schumacher's received a suspended two-year sentence, while former nightclub bouncer Yilmaz T, 53, was sentenced to three years in prison.

He had threatened to share a total of 900 photos and nearly 600 videos as well as confidential medical records on the dark web, unless they were compensated by the family.

After being found guilty of aiding and abetting extortion, his 30-year-old son was handed a six-month suspended sentence.

Yilmaz admitted to the court that his actions were "very, very disgusting".

The Schumacher family were unhappy with what they felt was lenient sentences for all individuals involved and lawyer Thilo Damm said they would "exhaust all legal possibilities at our disposal".

Although the majority of devices were recovered by authorities, one hard drive containing intimate photos and medical files is still believed to be missing.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.