Ex-manager in "shock paralysis" after video

Ex-manager in "shock paralysis" after video

On the fifth day of the trial against Gil Ofarim, there is once again a lot going on at Leipzig District Court. With his ex-artist manager and a TV producer, the singer has well-meaning witnesses on his side. And even the data forensic expert's report cannot rule out many things.

So far, things have not gone particularly well for Gil Ofarim at Leipzig District Court. There, he has to answer for false accusation and defamation. In the first four days of the trial, several witnesses were heard who did not fully support his story. Today, however, he certainly had advocates.

On day five, his former artist manager Yvonne P. was the first to speak, as RTL and "Focus" reported. "I wasn't there, but I got a call from Gil at a friend's birthday party," said the 45-year-old. He had probably been insulted in an anti-Semitic way and seemed very upset. She then called the production company and asked them to put Ofarim up in another hotel. She no longer remembers everything, as it was two years ago and everything was "very hectic".

Ofarim told her on the phone that he wanted to go live on Instagram, P. continued. She advised him against it. "I saw the video the next morning. He hadn't informed me about it." She went on to explain that she had worked with Ofarim since 2013. This working relationship no longer exists today and the reasons for this are not relevant to the trial, she added. However, she remembers the contact with Gil Ofarim as "pleasant", there were no other problems of this kind with him.

"He seemed very hurt to me"

When asked by the presiding judge, Yvonne P. explained that Ofarim had been dealing with the issue of anti-Semitism all his life. "He told me stories from his youth, faeces outside the door and so on. I never heard that myself, which is why I was so shocked at the time. He also seemed very hurt after the incident when we spoke on the phone via Facetime," Focus quotes her statement. When she saw the video, she was "a bit in shock". "I was incredibly sorry. The press didn't let up, there was always something new. I saw it as a very extreme time."

Yvonne P. also confirmed that Ofarim often wore the necklace with the Star of David, which is a central part of the investigation. When asked whether the singer was someone who was emphatic about his opinion, she said that it was human, according to RTL. "There is friction, but nothing out of the ordinary". Ofarim has never had any airs and graces. At the end of her statement, P. confirmed once again what she had said to the police at the time: "If someone is that upset, they can't fake it. He wasn't faking it for me, I'm 99.9 percent sure of that".

TV producer confirms visible Star of David

Next, a producer of the MDR show on which Gil Ofarim was a guest before the incident on October 4, 2021, was called to the witness stand. Nadine S. reported on the calls from Yvonne P., among other things, and continued: "When I reached Mr. Ofarim, he told me what had happened. He had waited, then asked why guests had been brought forward and was then insulted because someone said he should pack his star. He wanted us to rebook him because he didn't want to stay there. I arranged that. I had nothing to do with what happened after that, I had no further contact with Mr. Ofarim or the hotel."

P. confirmed to Ofarim's lawyers that the singer wore his necklace with the Star of David - at least for the whole day. She recalled the call as follows: "He seemed shocked. It was difficult for him to describe it, difficult for him to express it. He also said that he didn't know what to do now." She had never experienced Ofarim like this before during the recording. "At that moment, I had no reason to doubt what Mr. Ofarim said," RTL quotes Nadine S. as saying.

Could be the Star of David, but not necessarily

As digital forensic expert Dirk Labudde was unable to present his expert opinion in full on yesterday's trial day due to time constraints, he had his say again today. He analyzed a total of eleven videos from the hotel's surveillance cameras as well as comparative material from Gil Ofarim's Instagram account. It remains unclear whether the Star of David, to which a guest and the hotel employee W. accused of anti-Semitism by the singer are said to have referred, was visibly worn. According to the expert, the visible light reflections "could be the pendant", but this has not been proven. There is also no evidence of communication between Ofarim and another guest on the surveillance camera videos. However, as all the people were standing with their backs to the camera, this cannot be ruled out either, continued Labudde.

Before the expert could present the rest of his work, another witness, the production assistant of the MDR show, had her say. She spoke to Ofarim's agitated manager at the time, but also to the hotel manager, who she said seemed very calm at the time. "I particularly remember the conversation with the hotel manager because the contrast was so great. That calm voice is still in my head." With the judge's permission, she speculated: "I just can't imagine that someone would react so calmly and say 'this can be clarified' when it comes to something like this, I just don't believe it."

However, this witness is also said to have testified to the police at the time that the hotel manager mentioned that Ofarim had threatened her with an Instagram video, which she could no longer remember specifically. But she at least confirmed that she had seen the chain with the Star of David on Ofarim's set.

Calls from hotel guests reach lawyers

Shortly before the lunch break, one of Ofarim's lawyers explained that a man following the trial had contacted him. He reported a bad experience with the hotel about six months before the incident with Ofarim. When he asked at reception to be shown the VAT, a receptionist is said to have said to him: "We are still in Germany here." This seemed strange to him and he said to his wife: "Oh, we must have arrived in East Germany," RTL describes. Shortly beforehand, another man is said to have contacted the lawyers and reported something similar.

After the break, Dirk Labudde was allowed to elaborate on his findings. Clothing, jewelry and any light reflections were now examined more closely. Among other things, a surprising flash in Ofarim's chest area caught the forensic scientist's attention. He denied the question of whether this could have been caused by Ofarim's ring or his wristwatch. It could be the star or - "which I do not assume - Mr. Ofarim's chest hair, if he has not combed it". However, he also said: "But I cannot say for sure in my expert opinion that it represents a star."

The next question was whether the images from the surveillance camera could have been manipulated in any way. "Anything that is digital can be manipulated," said Labudde. He could not verify whether this had happened here. He would not rule it out, but would not confirm it either. If it had, then the manipulation would have had to be carried out on the raw material and that is a very time-consuming process. It will probably not be the last time that the forensic scientist will testify. He has already been invited back for December 6.

1. During her testimony, Yvonne P., Gil Ofarim's former manager, recalled that he often wore a necklace with the Star of David, which is central to the investigation.
2. The Pop music artist, Gil Ofarim, has been known to be outspoken about the issue of Anti-Semitism throughout his life, sharing stories of anti-Semitic incidents from his youth, such as faeces left outside his door.

Source: www.ntv.de