Schumacher's blackmailer given suspended sentence

The man who blackmailed Michael Schumacher's wife Corinna demanding EUR900,000 (?768,000) and threatening to kill their children has been given a suspended sentence in Germany.

A 25-year-old decorator, named Huseyin B under German law, had threatened to kill Schumacher's children and warned an 'accident could happen' to Mick who was racing in Formula 4 at the time.

The blackmailer had demanded ?768,000 to be transferred to his personal bank account which the German authorities quickly traced.

"If the money is not received by March 31, your children will be killed in some way or other. In Formula 4, a lot of accidents happen," an email read from Huseyin B.

Corinna Schumacher immediately reported the email to the Swiss police who traced the personal account back to German. The 25-year-old confessed to sending the email but said he didn't know why he had sent it.

Prosecutors said he had planned to do something similar to Erich Sixt, the tycoon behind the Sixt car hire company, and the decorator has been given a suspended sentence of 21 months, fined EUR4,500 (?3,850), to complete 50 hours of community service and undergo therapy.

Michael Schumacher suffered a near-fatal accident in December 2013 while skiing with his family. It was recently confirmed in a German court he cannot walk or stand as a result of the accident, when the family sued a German magazine over a report which said he could walk again.

The Schumachers have heavily guarded the F1 legend's private life since the accident.