International Custody Battle Intensifies as Danish Courts Grant Sole Custody to Father Amid Parental Alienation Allegations

The ongoing high-profile child custody dispute between Christina Block and Stephan Hensel has reached a critical juncture involving German and Danish legal systems, with allegations of parental alienation and complex jurisdictional challenges. Christina Block, the mother, has been embroiled in a legal battle after her children, Klara (15) and Theodor (11), were left in Denmark by their father Stephan Hensel, despite a Hamburg Higher Regional Court granting Block sole custody in October 2021.

The conflict began when Hensel failed to return the children to Block following a visitation in August 2021, claiming the children did not wish to return to Hamburg—a claim Block denies. Although the Hamburg court ruled in Block's favor, Danish courts did not automatically recognize these rulings, highlighting the cross-border complexity of custody enforcement within the EU. According to reports, a Danish family court awarded Hensel sole custody in May 2025 and subsequently ruled in November that Block would lose all custody and visitation rights. This ruling was based on the court's finding that the children did not wish for contact with their mother, an outcome widely viewed as a consequence of "deliberate alienation" by Hensel.

Concerns about the children's welfare were raised earlier by a former Hamburg youth welfare employee who warned of a possible "acute danger" due to the father's alleged deliberate alienation of the children. While claims of abuse by Block were dismissed by authorities as exaggerated, the youth welfare office at one point even considered removing the children from the family environment due to fears about their well-being.

Despite Block's persistent legal efforts, German courts declared themselves partially incompetent to intervene after the children integrated into Danish society. The children remain with Hensel in Denmark, as Danish enforcement does not allow forced return against the children's wishes. Block, visibly shaken, continues to contest the decisions amid the heart-wrenching division.

This case exemplifies the difficulties arising from cross-border custody disputes within the EU where differing national laws and recognition of foreign court rulings complicate resolutions, especially when parental alienation and children's expressed wishes come into play.