Christina Block, heiress to the Block House restaurant fortune, is at the center of an ongoing bitter child custody dispute. This much-publicized crisis has drawn intense media scrutiny. The prosecution’s case has been laid out in one of Germany’s highest-security courtrooms, normally reserved for terror trials. Block is charged with one count of first-degree violence-related cross-border abduction in relation to her two youngest children.
The legal firestorm started when Block’s ex-husband, Stephan Hensel, was found paying little attention to the German court order. Until then, he had been awarded sole custody of their children, making her husband’s actions especially egregious. Block went to the extreme and hired a global mercenary security firm. She led a conspiracy that kidnapped her own children. If convicted, Christina Block could be looking at a decade behind bars.
On January 2, 2024, Christina Block arrived at a farmhouse in Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany, where her children had been taken and held in a mobile home. Reports suggest that her mother financed the operation—believed to have cost hundreds of thousands of euros—before her passing approximately nine months prior to the abduction.
In the courtroom, the atmosphere is tense. Witnesses have reported that during the alleged kidnapping event, threats were made against the children: “Be quiet, otherwise we’ll kill you.” These alarming allegations introduce a frightening new layer into an already complicated case.
Block’s partner, Gerhard Delling, is charged with aiding and abetting the kidnapping scheme. Both he and Block have denied the charges, stressing that the security company operated independently. Christina Block’s children currently reside with their father, Stephan Hensel. A Danish court awarded him custody, and the two of them have since relocated to a still undisclosed address in Denmark.
The proceedings are likely to drag on through Christmas, as there are 141 witnesses and 22 experts slated to testify. Block’s defense team will contend that her actions were motivated by desperation. They argue this urgency was created due to her children being wrongfully retained by their father in Denmark.
Eugen Block, Christina’s father and founder of the Block House chain, remarked on the situation’s emotional toll, stating that life is meant to be filled with “much joie de vivre and pleasure.”
As the case continues to develop, Christina Block’s 14-year-old daughter wishes to testify in court. This underscores how personal and important the issue is for her. The family dynamics, animosities, and legal requirements transform with the ripples that this high-profile case stirs public attention.