LoungeMachine
12-14-2006, 09:08 PM
Fri 15 Dec 2006
Chauffeur denies threat to kill Yoko Ono in £1m plot
TOM HAYS
IN NEW YORK
YOKO Ono's chauffeur threatened to kill her and attempted to extort more than £1 million from her, a prosecutor said at a court hearing yesterday.
The accused, Koral Karsan, 50, allegedly said "he had people on standby waiting to kill the victim on his orders", assistant district attorney Maureen O'Connor claimed in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Karsan is accused of first-degree attempted grand larceny.
Ms O'Connor said Karsan "had threatened to kill the victim", who is the widow of the late Beatle John Lennon.
Ms O'Connor told Judge Tanya Kennedy that the defendant had also demanded £1 million from 73-year-old Ono.
Judge Kennedy set Karsan's bail at £125,000 cash and gave the district attorney's office 72 hours to examine the source of the money once the defendant posted it.
Ms O'Connor asked the judge to set high bail, because she said Karsan was an "extraordinary flight risk". He had been in the US for about ten years, had family, property and contacts in Turkey, and "there is no doubt he would flee", she told the judge.
Karsan's lawyer, Patrick Kevin Brosnahan, said his client was not guilty and "will vigorously dispute these charges".
Karsan, who was arrested on Wednesday, disputed the allegations. Ono was trying "to stop me from pursuing a sexual harassment case", he said as he was being led out of a Manhattan police station.
Ono's spokesman denied this. "That is completely false. She's the victim here," the spokesman, Elliott Mintz, said.
Police said he had threatened to circulate embarrassing photos of her and spoke of killing her and her son, Sean Lennon.
Karsan also denied trying to extort money from Ono.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1860972006
Last updated: 15-Dec-06 00:49 GMT
Chauffeur denies threat to kill Yoko Ono in £1m plot
TOM HAYS
IN NEW YORK
YOKO Ono's chauffeur threatened to kill her and attempted to extort more than £1 million from her, a prosecutor said at a court hearing yesterday.
The accused, Koral Karsan, 50, allegedly said "he had people on standby waiting to kill the victim on his orders", assistant district attorney Maureen O'Connor claimed in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Karsan is accused of first-degree attempted grand larceny.
Ms O'Connor said Karsan "had threatened to kill the victim", who is the widow of the late Beatle John Lennon.
Ms O'Connor told Judge Tanya Kennedy that the defendant had also demanded £1 million from 73-year-old Ono.
Judge Kennedy set Karsan's bail at £125,000 cash and gave the district attorney's office 72 hours to examine the source of the money once the defendant posted it.
Ms O'Connor asked the judge to set high bail, because she said Karsan was an "extraordinary flight risk". He had been in the US for about ten years, had family, property and contacts in Turkey, and "there is no doubt he would flee", she told the judge.
Karsan's lawyer, Patrick Kevin Brosnahan, said his client was not guilty and "will vigorously dispute these charges".
Karsan, who was arrested on Wednesday, disputed the allegations. Ono was trying "to stop me from pursuing a sexual harassment case", he said as he was being led out of a Manhattan police station.
Ono's spokesman denied this. "That is completely false. She's the victim here," the spokesman, Elliott Mintz, said.
Police said he had threatened to circulate embarrassing photos of her and spoke of killing her and her son, Sean Lennon.
Karsan also denied trying to extort money from Ono.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1860972006
Last updated: 15-Dec-06 00:49 GMT