21.10.2025 21:37
A 17-year-old boy, who had been interested in his neighbor's daughter for a while, was sentenced to 18 years and 8 months in prison after following her on the street, attacking her with a knife, injuring her neck, and robbing her of her phone in the Kemalpaşa district of İzmir. The horrifying incident was captured by the security camera of a nearby business, while the defendant claimed in court that the person in the footage was not him.
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In the Mustafa Kemal Atatürk neighborhood of the Kemalpaşa district in İzmir, 16-year-old Çağlar Efe D. allegedly followed the neighbor girl Betül Ç., whom he had been interested in for a while, while she was walking on the street.
HE BROUGHT TERROR TO THE NEIGHBOR GIRL In the incident that occurred on October 25 last year, when Betül Ç. noticed the situation and tried to run away, she was injured in the neck by the knife attack of Çağlar Efe D. who was following her. Çağlar Efe D. then robbed Betül Ç. of her mobile phone and fled. Upon Betül Ç.'s calls for help, those around reported the situation to the 112 Emergency Call Center. With the notification, gendarmerie and medical teams were dispatched to the area. Betül Ç., who was taken to the hospital by ambulance, was discharged after her treatment.
CAUGHT IN HIS FATHER'S HOUSE The fleeing suspect Çağlar Efe D. was caught a day later in his father's house in Beşyol neighborhood through the coordinated efforts of the police and gendarmerie. During the search, the mobile phone he had robbed from Betül Ç. was also seized. After his procedures, Çağlar Efe D. was sent to the courthouse and arrested the same day.
THE HORRIFIC INCIDENT WAS CAUGHT ON CAMERA Meanwhile, it was revealed that the knife attack was captured by the security camera of a nearby business. The footage shows Çağlar Efe D. following Betül Ç., running up to her and attacking the young woman with a knife, and then robbing her mobile phone and fleeing.
DEFENDED HIMSELF BY SAYING "I AM NOT THE PERSON IN THE CAMERA RECORDINGS" However, despite the footage, Çağlar Efe D. stated in his testimony that he knew Betül Ç. because she was his grandmother's neighbor, saying, "Some social media accounts were opened in Betül's name. They held me responsible for these. I was falsely accused. I did not stab anyone. The person in the camera recordings is not me. The phone belonging to Betül is not with me either," denying the accusations.
PROSECUTOR SOUGHT UP TO 26 YEARS IN PRISON Betül Ç. stated in her testimony that Çağlar Efe D. had been persistently following her for about 5 months, which is why she reported him to the gendarmerie, and on the day of the incident, he insulted her and injured her on the face, neck, hip, left hand, and ear area with a knife he took out of his pocket. Betül Ç. also mentioned that her psychology deteriorated after the attack, and she spent sleepless days and had nightmares.
The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared the indictment regarding the incident after the investigation. Çağlar Efe D. was charged with 'attempted murder with intent' due to being against a woman and a child, seeking up to 12 years in prison, 'robbery with a weapon' due to the knife he used, also seeking up to 12 years in prison, and additionally for 'insult' seeking up to 2 years in prison.
SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS AND 8 MONTHS IN PRISON A hearing was held on October 17 at the İzmir 2nd Children's Heavy Penal Court. The detained defendant Çağlar Efe D., his lawyers, and members of the Association for the Protection and Preservation of Women and Children attended the hearing. Betül Ç. did not attend the hearing. The lawyer of the defendant Çağlar Efe D. requested a new report to be taken on the grounds that his client's mental faculties were not intact. However, the presiding judge rejected the request due to the definitive report prepared by a three-person committee in the file indicating that the defendant's mental faculties were intact. The public prosecutor requested that Çağlar Efe D. be punished separately and without reduction for the charges of 'attempted murder with intent', 'robbery with a weapon', and 'threat'. The court then announced its decision. The court accepted the nature of the crime as 'attempted murder' and sentenced Çağlar Efe D. to 12 years in prison, and for the crime of 'robbery with a weapon', he was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in prison. He was acquitted of the charge of 'threat' due to lack of evidence.
"WE WILL CONTINUE OUR FIGHT" After the hearing, Betül Ç.'s lawyer Merve Aybar Güler made a statement in front of the courthouse, saying, "Considering the severe victimization our client has experienced and the concrete evidence available in the file, we believe that the defendant should be punished at the highest level and that the acquittal decision should be overturned and a sentence should be given. In this regard, we will initiate the necessary legal process to appeal the decision and continue our fight for justice with determination," she said.
Aslı Sarı, the president of the Association for the Protection and Preservation of Women and Children, who supports the family, stated, "The situation this family has been experiencing for a year is a severe trauma. No child should have to endure such pain, and no mother and father should witness these things. As an association, we will continue our fight with determination to ensure that justice is fully served and to overturn the acquittal decision given for the charge of threat," she said.
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