A father and son pleaded guilty in a German court Tuesday over a plot to blackmail the family of Michael Schumacher by threatening to release images of the Formula One legend. The men from Wuppertal in western Germany made the admission at the opening of their trial in the city, a court spokeswoman said.  The men, identified only as Yilmaz T. and Daniel L., allegedly threatened to release private photos and videos of Schumacher and demanded 15 million euros ($15.7 million) from his family. These purportedly included images of the seven-time Formula One champion before and after a 2013 skiing accident, which left him with a serious brain injury.

Schumacher, 55, has not been seen in public since.

A third man, who is accused of supplying the photos to the other two defendants, also went on trial for his alleged part in the plot but made no admission of guilt.

The man, identified as Markus F. from the western German town of Wuelfrath, worked as a security guard at the Schumacher family residence in Switzerland until 2021.

Prosecutors accuse the suspect of selling images of Schumacher, acquired during his work, to the father and son for a “five-figure” sum.

According to prosecutors, Yilmaz T. rang an employee of the Schumacher family several times in June this year to demand money.

The employee demanded proof of the images, which was delivered from a new email address, said to have been set up by the suspected blackmailer’s son.

The court has scheduled a total of five hearings until mid-February.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

West Indies bowler Alzarri Joseph has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct by using offensive language in an exchange with a match official, during the first ODI match against Bangladesh, which the hosts won by five wickets. Joseph was found to have breached Article 2.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “the use of an audible obscenity.” In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Joseph’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period, the ICC informed in a statement on Tuesday, minutes ahead of the start of the second ODI.

The incident occurred on Sunday before the start of play when Joseph used offensive and abusive language in an exchange with the fourth umpire after the umpire had asked Joseph to refrain from stepping onto the pitch with his spikes on.

Joseph admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Leslie Reifer, third umpire Asif Yaqoob and fourth umpire Gregory Brathwaite levelled the charge.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Joseph went on to claim 2-67 and with Romario Shepherd, who claimed 3-51, helped West Indies restrict Bangladesh 294/6, propped up by skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz (74), Tanzid Hasan (60), Mahmudullah (50 not out) and Jaker Ali (48).

West Indies rode on an 80-ball 113 by Sherfane Rutherford and an 86 by skipper Shai Hope to reach 295/5 with 14 balls to spare.

Pep Guardiola, who signed a new contract with Manchester City in November, has stated that his time in Manchester will be his last managerial stint as a club head coach. “I want to leave it and go and play golf but I can’t. A time will come when I feel it’s enough and I’ll definitely stop then. I’m not going to manage another team. I’m not talking about the long-term future but what I’m not going to do is leave Manchester City and go to another country to do the same thing as I am now,” said Guardiola on Desmontadito’s YouTube channel. The Catalan’s new deal means he will spend more than a decade as City manager. Guardiola’s time at City is one laden with success. He has so far won 18 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League.

One of the most successful coaches in football history, Guardiola went on to confirm his interest in coaching a national team. The 53-year-old was recently linked to the England head coach role before the job was offered to Thomas Tuchel.

“I wouldn’t have the energy to do so. I’m still here doing what I am today. But the thought of starting off somewhere else, with all the process of the training and so on… no, no, no! Maybe a national team but that’s different,” he added.

Guardiola has been under immense pressure since signing his new contract after Manchester City has gone through the worst period under his tenure. The team has struggled to win in both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League which has seen the team fall down to fourth and 17th in the respective tables.

“I should stop, like these chefs that go to other countries, stop and see what we’ve done well and what we could do better and when you’re busy all day day after day you don’t have time to do that. I think stopping would do me good,” he concluded.