Gerhard Delling denies aiding child abduction in Hamburg court testimony

Court testimony in Hamburg

On the 78th day of hearings at the Hamburg Regional Court, former television sports presenter Gerhard Delling delivered a detailed statement denying criminal involvement in the abduction of his partner's children. The 67-year-old faces charges of aiding and abetting in the case, which has been before the court for more than a year. Delling requested that the judges maintain impartiality while assessing his multi-hour address, expressing hope that the legal proceedings will conclude soon. He told the court that the ongoing trial has placed an extreme strain on his personal and professional life. Delling firmly rejected the prosecution's claim that he was aware of or participated in the planning of the operation.

I was neither involved nor did I have any idea about it.

Custody dispute background

The criminal trial stems from a bitter cross-border custody battle between 53-year-old Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block and her former husband Stephan Hensel. In August 2021, Hensel kept the former couple's two youngest children in Denmark following an agreed weekend visit rather than returning them to Hamburg. Hensel cited allegations of maternal violence as his justification, accusations that Block has repeatedly denied. Block countered by claiming Hensel actively manipulated the children to alienate them from their mother. According to court testimony, Block remained separated from the children for years and relied on private detectives to gather basic information about their daily welfare.

New Year abduction operation

The prosecution alleges that Block, whose father Eugen Block founded the Block House steakhouse restaurant chain, contracted an Israeli security firm to resolve the custody impasse. On New Year 2024, masked perpetrators took the 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son from Hensel's residence in Denmark. The operatives transported the two minors across the border into southern Germany before transferring them to Hamburg. Block maintains her innocence regarding the organization and financing of the extraction. Delling had previously submitted a formal statement to the court in September 2025 detailing his recollection of the days surrounding the incident.

Specific charges against Delling

The prosecution contends that Delling actively supported the operation by organizing a rendezvous between Block and the two children in Baden-Württemberg on 1 January 2024. Investigators also allege that Delling coordinated the subsequent journey of the mother and children back to Hamburg and later provided inaccurate statements to police officers. Delling testified that he built positive relationships with the children early on, but claimed he was later portrayed as an enemy figure in Denmark. He also stated that he feared retaliatory aggression from Hensel after the children arrived in Germany, which led him to place a club beside his bed at night.

The children were not afraid of their mother, they were closely connected to her.

Trial developments and defendants

Delling testified that he never witnessed his partner direct violence toward her children, stating he would have ended the relationship if such abuse had occurred. He described witnessing intense emotional suffering from Block over the loss of contact with her family. The proceedings in Hamburg involve seven co-defendants facing various charges linked to the cross-border abduction. To date, only one defendant, identified as a 37-year-old Israeli national, has formally admitted to the accusations brought by prosecutors.