First photo of Michael Schumacher emerges, showing the F1 champion lying in bed

ISIS praises 'soldier' who carried out Berlin massacre as police STILL hunt gunman who killed 12 in lorry attack - but are forced to release asylum seeker suspect after admitting he's the wrong man
The shocking moment a CNN commentator comes close to tears as a TSA agent lifts up her dress and 'feels her genitals' during invasive pat-down
The ONE thing every successful person does in the morning to ensure they have the most productive day (and you should too)
China claims to have a working version of NASA's impossible engine orbiting the Earth - and will use it in satellites 'imminently'
Preparing to kill: Chilling moment off-duty officer calmly patrols behind Russian ambassador, checks his holster twice, then pulls out his gun and assassinates him
Blood on Angela's hands? Far-right blames German leader's immigration policy for Christmas attack as 'shocked and shaken' Merkel lays flowers where 12 died
Germany's year from hell: How the country has been rocked by seven terror attacks leaving 22 dead
Wife of slain Russian ambassador had a 'nervous breakdown' after seeing him gunned down in front of her in Turkey, as she reveals 'we did not have any security guards at all'
Turkish government orders media BLACKOUT on Russian ambassador assassination as it attempts to link shooting to the same movement it blamed for a failed coup in July
BREAKING NEWS: Cologne train station is evacuated due to a bomb threat
How former Nazi airport became Germany's largest migrant centre: Commandos storm Tempelhof hangar where immigrants live as police hunt for any accomplices to Berlin terror attack
PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Polish lorry driver who fought for his life as fanatic shot him dead then hijacked truck and careered through market killing 12
ISIS calls for more attacks just half an hour after Berlin Christmas market atrocity and follows terror manual instructing fanatics to inflict a devastating lorry 'blood bath'
KATIE HOPKINS: How many MORE atrocities before European leaders stop lying and admit that, thanks to their immigration policies, being mowed down while Christmas shopping is simply the new normal?
American cities step up security at Christmas gatherings after terrorist truck attack on Berlin market which killed 12 shoppers
World on terror alert: Security ramped up in major cities over Christmas after Berlin lorry tragedy sparks fears of another attack on the West
Putin sends investigators to Ankara after branding Russian ambassador killing a 'provocation' aimed at sabotaging ties between Moscow and Turkey
Russian diplomat is shot dead at his home in Moscow hours after the assassination of ambassador in Ankara
Trump says terrorists 'must be eradicated from the face of the earth' after 12 die and 48 are hurt when lorry plows into Berlin market
Obama plays it cool on the golf course as a wave of terror spread across Europe from Berlin to Turkey
Italian woman is feared dead in Berlin Christmas market massacre after her phone and metro pass were found at scene where 12 were mowed down by 25-tonne lorry
Final 3,000 civilians and fighters told to leave Aleppo as Russian foreign minister says evacuation should finish within 'one or two days'
EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry's girlfriend's sad rift from her sister revealed by family members who speak of sadness that older sibling's attacked 'classy' Meghan
New royal row erupts after fake photographs claiming to be of Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle topless are published online

The former Formula One champion was severely injured while skiing in 2013
Schumacher has been cared for at home in Geneva since coming out of a coma
Now some ghoul has smuggled the first photo out and is offering it for £1million
Prosecutors in Offenburg, Germany, are investigating breach of right to privacy

Published: 08:06 EST, 19 December 2016 | Updated: 12:47 EST, 19 December 2016

e-mail

761

View
comments

The first photograph of stricken Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher since his accident is being hawked around Europe for £1million.

An investigation is under way into who took the picture at the German driver's palatial home in Geneva, Switzerland and how they managed to smuggle it out under the nose of his manager and nursing staff.

Schumacher, 47, sustained severe head injuries in a skiing accident in France on December 29, 2013 and has been cared for at his home in Switzerland since September 2014.

Michael Schumacher (pictured) was a keen skier but suffered calamitous injuries after losing control on a slope at Méribel in France

His manager Sabine Kehm said at the weekend: 'Michael's health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard.

'We have to protect his intimate sphere. Legally seen and in the longer term, every statement related to his health would diminish the extent of his intimate sphere.'

But only hours after that statement was made, it emerged that various European media organisations had been offered the exclusive images.

Michael Schumacher (pictured) won a record seven Formula 1 titles before retiring

Prosecutors in Offenburg, Germany, are investigating the pictures as an alleged violation of his 'personal range of life'.

In a statement, the prosecutor's office told Germany's RTL TV channel the images had been offered for 'high amounts of money' but the identity of the seller was not known.

Within hours after Schumacher arrived in hospital in December 2013 a journalist armed with a camera and dressed as a priest had tried to gain entry to his room at a hospital in Grenoble, France.

At the weekend Ms Kehm said the Schumacher family was aware fans were hoping for news of their hero's condition 'but we do this with full commitment to Michael's guidelines and can only thank people for their understanding.'

Schumacher suffered horrendous injuries when he fell onto rocks at Meribel ski resort

Ms Kehm said the family was launching a 'Keep Fighting Initiative' as a sign of gratitude to fans and to encourage people inspired by Schumacher's career 'to keep fighting and never give up.'

Schumacher's accident happened on a family vacation as he was skiing with his son at the Meribel ski resort in the French Alps.

The avid skier hit the right side of his head on a rock, cracking his helmet. Doctors operated to remove blood clots from his brain, but some were left because they were too deeply embedded.

The former Formula One world champion sustained a severe injury while skiing in late 2013

Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm (pictured) said he had always been protective of his privacy

Schumacher's condition stabilised after he was placed in a drug-induced coma, from which he later emerged.

'Michael has always been very protective of his privacy, even during the most successful times of his career. He has always made sure there is a clear and distinct line between his public persona and his private one,' Ms Kehm said.

Schumacher, who made his name with Benetton before joining Ferrari in 1996, won a record seven F1 titles and 91 races.