Last week, Yoko Ono's personal driver and bodyguard, as it turns out, Koral Karsan was arrested on two counts of grand larceny, after he allegedly attempted to blackmail the widow of John Lennon. It was said that he threatened her with publishing intimate photographs (taken when she was asleep or in her nightgown), for which he asked to be paid the sum of $2 million.
At yesterday's court hearing, Karsan was considered by a judge as an important flight risk, due to the fact that his working visa has expired since 1993 and that he is a member of a big Turkish family, a leading name in the national textile business. Consequently, he was immediately indicted and jailed, without the possibility of bail, at least until January 11, when another court hearing is scheduled to take place.
However, Karsan's lawyer said that his client is a victim of Ono, who repeatedly asked him to perform 'immoral and illegal acts' (no mention what those may have been), beckoning him to be at her service 24 hours a day (despite the fact that his hiring papers figured him as a freelancer) and even to tuck her in bed at night. At the time of his arrest, the driver told the media that he was being prosecuted by Yoko because she was trying to stop him from filing a harassment lawsuit against her.
However, the widow's attorney claimed that his client was the victim all along, as the evidence found in Karsan's apartment can very well prove. He brought as argument the fact that the police found, upon search, many photographs saved on his personal computer that showed Yoko in her most intimate moments, when she was not aware her picture was being taken, as well as photos of the house, of her collection of art work, of the windows and of the premises.
Plus, he stated in court, the fact that Karsan's first lawyer said that his client can barely scrape together $15,000 for the first set bail and then came up with $250,000 in cash for the second bail must mean things are not as the driver alleges. Apparently, the judge agreed with him, because he refused to set another bail until the second trial hearing.
Meanwhile, another trial is on the roll for the driver/bodyguard, as the court must decide whether he is an illegal immigrant or not. Elliot Mintz, Ono's publicist, was not immediately available for comment, when the press tried to contact him after the court hearing.
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