Overview

• Proceedings began on July 11 at the Landgericht Hamburg with heiress Christina Block and her partner Gerhard Delling arraigned on charges of severe abduction and aiding and abetting.
• Both defendants pleaded not guilty, with Block’s lawyers arguing the alleged kidnapping was executed independently by a private security firm.
• Prosecutors accuse masked operatives of assaulting the children’s father in Denmark, binding the two younger children and transporting them across the border into Germany.
• The court plans to hear from as many as 140 witnesses, including the couple’s 14-year-old daughter whose testimony is expected to be central to the case.
• The trial highlights long-running conflicts between German and Danish custody rulings and raises questions about the children’s welfare.