Overview
- Three Hamburg Jugendamt employees are scheduled to testify Thursday as the court examines their handling of the Block–Hensel custody dispute since 2021.
- Prosecutors allege Christina Block commissioned the New Year 2023/24 removal of her two children from Denmark to Germany, a charge she denies.
- Youth-welfare records from 2022 flagged acute child-welfare endangerment and urged court measures under §1666 BGB, but German authorities lacked power to act in Denmark.
- The alleged organizer, a 68-year-old Israeli security executive treated as a suspect but not among the seven defendants, testified under safe conduct in December and could be recalled.
- The court plans to continue hearing from key witness David Barkay on January 19, while a probe into a youth worker for alleged aiding was previously closed for lack of evidence.