The family of Michael Schumacher has confirmed an appeal against the sentence handed to the Formula 1 legend’s former bodyguard convicted of being part of a £12million blackmail plot.
Markus Fritsche, 53, was one of three men on trial in the German city of Wuppertal. He was accused of conspiring with nightclub bounced Yilmaz Tozturkan, 53, and IT expert Daniel Lins, 30, to steal confidential photos and medical information from a computer.
Tozturkan then contacted the Schumacher family and threatened to publish the information on the internet unless they were paid a sum of £12m. During the trail, he admitted what he had done was “disgusting” and said he was “very sorry and ashamed” of his actions.
Tozturkan was handed a three-year prison term for his part in the plot. Fritsche avoided jail and was given a two-year suspended sentence, as did Lins whose six-month sentence was also suspended.
Schumacher family lawyer Thilo Damm said after that verdict that they would appeal those sentences. “We do not agree with everything the court said,” he told reporters following the sentencing hearing.
“You can rest assured that we will exhaust all legal possibilities at our disposal. We don’t know where the missing hard drive is. I don’t have a crystal ball, but there is the possibility of another threat through the backdoor.”
And now the Schumacher family, via a representative of the Formula 1 legend’s wife Corinna, has confirmed the plan. “We have appealed against what we consider to be the far too lenient sentence for Mr F,” a statement from the family read.
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“In my opinion, he was the mastermind behind this. What still shocks me most is the massive breach of trust. He should receive a punishment that deters any potential copycats.”
Corinna has fought had to protect her husband’s privacy since his skiing accident he suffered in December 2013. The seven-time F1 champion suffered life-changing injuries from which he continues to recover today, though few details about his condition have ever been made public and only a few chosen trusted family members and friends are allowed to visit.
One of those trusted to see his old friend and colleague is former Ferrari team principal and FIA president Jean Todt. Earlier this month, the Frenchman refused to go against the family’s wish of privacy but said he visits Michael “regularly” and “with affection”. He added: “Our bond goes beyond the past work. It is part of my life, which today is very far from Formula 1.”
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