Stating that the defendant, who had no criminal record in the young offender category, tried to escape by destroying the signs and killed the victim in a brutal manner by planning, the Chief Criminal Court President Dağlı said that the crime was committed brutally and should be punished with the most severe punishment.
Sefer Buğra Altundağ, who was tried for the brutal murder of 16-year-old Zehie Helin Reessur in İskele on January 25, 2023, was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The verdict was read by the Chief Criminal Court President of Gazimağusa, Hasan Dağlı, who held his sessions in İskele.
After the verdict was announced, the victim's family said "justice has been served", experienced emotional moments, welcomed the verdict with applause, and said "Allah is great".
The families of the defendant and the victim were also present in the courtroom to hear the verdict.
The High Criminal Court unanimously found Altundağ guilty of all five counts, including premeditated and planned murder. The court sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment for the first crime, 35 years for the second crime, and the same sentence for the other crimes, and decided that he should serve all of the sentences together.
Mother Saltukhan: "I'm going to the cemetery now to give my daughter the good news"
After the verdict, Helin's mother Zişan Reessur Saltukhan made a statement to the press and said, "My heart is not cold, my child is gone, I will not be able to see her anymore. Now I'm going to the cemetery to give my child and daughter the good news. We had endless trust in justice, justice has been served. I will go to give my daughter the good news, may she rest in peace. May the Helins not die. The families and the state take care of the children."
Prosecutor Emine Taşkın and the defense lawyer were also present when the verdict was announced.
The Chief Justice emphasized that the punishment should be exemplary
The Chief Justice of the High Criminal Court, Dağlı, emphasized that the punishment to be given should be deterrent and exemplary in terms of the seriousness and gravity of the crime committed.
Stating that the defendant, who has no criminal record in the young criminal category, tried to escape by destroying the signs and killed the victim in a ruthless manner by planning, Dağlı said that the crime was committed brutally and should be punished with the most severe punishment.
Stating that the crime contains elements that aggravate the punishment, Dağlı noted that no one can exceed the right to life and that it is the duty of society to ensure that it is protected.
"We cannot remain indifferent to the cruel termination of life"
Daglı, indicating that the deprivation of a person's right to life cannot be reversed, said that the judiciary cannot remain indifferent to such a cruel termination of life.
Emphasizing that the punishment to be given should be deterrent, Dağlı stated that the incident, which they described as “femicide” and “child murder” considering the age, turned into a planned murder after the words “I will complain about you to the police, I will have you killed.”
