Killers on standby for Yoko Ono

15th December 2006 20:00:02

Yoko Ono's chauffeur said he had people "on standby" to kill her.

Koral Karsan threatened to kill John Lennon's widow and release embarrassing photographs and recordings of her unless she paid him $2 million.

Assistant District Attorney Maureen O'Connor, speaking at Karsan's arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court, said: "Karsan claimed he had people on standby waiting to kill the victim on his orders."

Yoko's lawyer Jonas Herbsman said Karsan told him he would "ruin the life of Yoko, her children and her associates" if she didn't give him the money.

Jude Tanya Kennedy set Karsan's bail at a hefty $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash, after O'Connor branded him an "extraordinary flight risk".

Karsan has protested his innocence, claiming Yoko made the allegations to stop him "pursuing a sexual harassment case against her."

Karsan - who has worked for Ono for six years - was arrested in New York on Wednesday (13.12.06) after Yoko reported the threats.

He has been charged with first-degree attempted grand larceny.

Police said that on December 8, the 26th anniversary of John Lennon's assassination, Karsan delivered a threatening note and photograph of Yoko, 73, in her nightclothes to her apartment in New York's Dakota building, where she lived with the former Beatle. In a later conversation with one of Yoko's associates - recorded by investigators - the 50-year-old chauffeur talked about killing her, her son Sean and himself.