A former nurse of Michael Schumacher has been accused of attempting to blackmail the Formula One star’s family over private photographs.
The nurse, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, is alleged to have been part of a plot to extort €15m (£12.3m) by threatening to release images of the racing legend on the dark web, a German court has heard.
No images of Schumacher have been seen publicly since he suffered a catastrophic brain injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013. The seven-time world champion was placed in a medically induced coma, and his family has fiercely guarded his privacy ever since.
Now, a nurse – who has not been formally charged – has been implicated in a sinister plot to leak sensitive photos of the sporting icon, according to evidence presented at a trial in Wuppertal, western Germany.
Three defendants, including Schumacher’s former security guard, stand accused of attempting to blackmail the Schumacher family by threatening to release 900 images and 583 videos. The material reportedly shows Schumacher in a hospital bed and a wheelchair, starkly revealing his fragile condition.
The court heard that the incriminating images were allegedly accessed from a care computer, restricted to medical staff, including nurses. Schumacher’s longtime manager, Sabine Kehm, reportedly told the court that she had harboured suspicions about the nurse before she left her position in 2020.
One defendant, a nightclub bouncer, claimed he had obtained the files from Schumacher’s former security guard via hard drives. He and his son allegedly approached Schumacher’s family with a blackmail demand before being electronically traced and arrested by police.
The security guard’s lawyer, however, denied his client’s involvement, insisting that the files could have been stolen during a burglary at his home on the Schumacher family’s estate.
Schumacher, now 55, suffered life-changing injuries while skiing in Meribel, France, in December 2013. His condition has remained a closely guarded secret, with his wife Corinna determined to protect his dignity and privacy as he continues his long recovery.
The German racing icon holds the joint record for the most Formula One world titles, with a tally of seven – a feat matched only by Lewis Hamilton.
