22.10.2026 19:11
The verdict has been delivered in the case of 6-year-old Ela Tabakoğlu, who lost her life after being hit by a shuttle minibus while crossing the road to board the shuttle after school on February 4 in Gebze, Kocaeli. The court sentenced the driver İ.C. to 5 years, 10 months and 20 days in prison for causing death by conscious negligence. The defendant, who was noted to have removed the shuttle company's sign after the incident, was not given a discretionary reduction, and house arrest was lifted.
A verdict has been issued in the case concerning the death of 6-year-old Ela Tabakoğlu, who lost her life after being struck by a school service vehicle at school dismissal in Kocaeli. The service driver was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in prison, while house arrest was lifted.
On February 4, in front of Bilgi Primary School on Köroğlu Street in Beylikbağı Cumhuriyet Neighborhood of Gebze district, first-grade student Ela Tabakoğlu, who was trying to cross the road to board the school service after school dismissal, lost her life at the scene after being struck by the service minibus. The driver, İ.C. (46), who was taken into custody, was arrested, while the little girl's body was buried in Basat village of Çaycuma district in her hometown of Zonguldak.
MOTHER: MY DAUGHTER HAD TO RUN AFTER HER SCHOOL SERVICE
The fifth hearing of the case was held at Gebze 12th Criminal Court of First Instance. The victim's mother, Serpil, and father, Fatih Tabakoğlu, along with the parties' lawyers, attended the hearing. The defendant İ.C., who was under house arrest, did not attend the trial. Ela's mother, Serpil Tabakoğlu, argued that those responsible for the incident did not fulfill their duties. Stating that her daughter had to run after her school service because of people who did not do their jobs and consequently lost her life, mother Tabakoğlu noted that there were elements of possible intent in the incident.
FAMILY LAWYER: ELA WAS NOT AT FAULT IN THE ACCIDENT
Lawyer Kübra Süleyman, representing the participating family, stated at the hearing that what was at issue was not only a traffic accident but also the unfulfilled dreams of 6-year-old Ela. Drawing attention to the Forensic Medicine Institute report in the file, lawyer Süleyman stated that Ela was not at fault in the accident. Lawyer Kübra Süleyman argued that the defendant did not take into account the warnings made while he was in the vehicle and did not take the necessary precautions despite having the opportunity to do so.
Defense counsel for the defendant, lawyer Tamer Ayhan, argued that Ela was in the vehicle's blind spot and that there was no concrete evidence that the defendant heard the warnings. Claiming that there were contradictions between the reports, Ayhan requested his client's acquittal or, failing that, the application of provisions in his favor.
The public prosecutor, in his opinion on the merits, requested that service driver İ.C., who caused the death of 6-year-old Ela Tabakoğlu, be punished for conscious negligence in line with witness statements and evidence in the file indicating that he continued to drive the vehicle for a while despite warnings.
NO DISCRETIONARY REDUCTION APPLIED
The court panel sentenced service driver İ.C., who caused Ela Tabakoğlu's death, to 5 years, 10 months and 20 days in prison for the crime of 'causing a person's death by conscious negligence.' Stating that the defendant was primarily at fault, the court did not apply a discretionary reduction, also taking into account that after the incident he left the vehicle, got back in, and removed the service company's sign. The court rejected the request for the defendant's arrest, lifted the judicial control measure of not leaving the residence, and decided that the ban on traveling abroad would continue.