In Denmark the police are looking for two children aged ten and 13. Investigators said they were kidnapped on New Year’s Eve in the town of Gråsten (Gravenstein) in the south of the country. According to consistent media reports, the boy and his sister, who is three years older than him, are the grandchildren of the millionaire 83-year-old Hamburg steakhouse patriarch Eugen Block (Block House).
It was said that father Stephan H. was attacked by several men during the New Year’s Eve fireworks display. The children were then forced to get into a Citroën DS7 Crossback with the German license plate DN – AV 9551 and a Mercedes-Benz A-Class with the number WI – W 6481 E.
“The law enforcement authorities are currently assuming that they are in the care of their mother,” said a spokeswoman for the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office on Tuesday. The “Hamburger Abendblatt” had previously reported. There is no indication that the children are in danger. The Hamburg police, who were also involved in the case alongside the Danish authorities, also stated that the facts were known and were the subject of ongoing investigations. “Further information cannot be provided at the moment due to the investigation being only at the beginning,” it said. The Danish officials are said to be in contact with the German police.
The Danish investigators also assume that the case is related to the long-running dispute in the Block family. “He is allegedly referring to a previous case in Gråsten involving disagreements between the children’s parents over custody of the two children,” police wrote. The dispute has preoccupied courts and authorities on both sides of the border since at least August 2021.
Christina Block is Eugen Block’s daughter. She was married to Stephan H. for many years until their divorce in 2018. She is now in a relationship with the TV presenter Gerhard Delling. H. also has a new partner. Block and H.’s marriage resulted in a total of four children. According to reports, a 17-year-old daughter lives voluntarily with her father in Denmark, and a 15-year-old lives with her mother in Hamburg.
There is a bitter, sometimes public dispute between Christina Block and Stephan H over custody of the two youngest children who have now been kidnapped. There were mutual accusations of blame and even allegations of violence. In August 2021, H. is said to have taken the two children and brought them to Denmark.
The Hamburg Higher Regional Court (OLG) subsequently made it clear that Christina Block was allowed to take the children with her. However, according to “t-online”, H. resisted the decision – and the Danish judiciary was at least halfway on his side. “The Danish family court recognizes the OLG ruling, but does not want to have it enforced because the children wanted to live with their father,” writes the portal. The parents could not be reached when asked by Stern/RTL or did not want to comment.
Sources: Police Denmark, “Bild” newspaper, “T-Online”, “Hamburger Abendblatt”, DPA news agency
