05.11.2025 15:57
In İzmir, 28-year-old Sinem Melisa Akcan, who was tried for the crime of "causing the death of multiple people through conscious negligence" after a fire resulted in the deaths of five children, was not sentenced. In the reasoned decision, it was stated that Akcan had to take care of her five children alone, that she earned her living by collecting scrap, and that considering her financial difficulties, it was not possible for her to foresee the outcome that occurred.
Living in a single-story house in the Cumhuriyet neighborhood of Selçuk district in İzmir, Sinem Melisa Akcan (28), whose husband Hakan Akcan is in prison for a crime and who supports her family by collecting scrap, left her 5 children at home and went to collect scrap on November 11 last year around 7:00 PM.
5 SIBLINGS PERISHED IN THE FIRE
After a while, a fire broke out due to the stove in the house tipping over. As the flames quickly engulfed the house, the siblings Aras Bulut Akcan (1), Masal Işık Akcan (2), Aslan Miraç Akcan (3), Funda Peri Akcan (4), and Fadime Nefes Akcan (5) were trapped inside. The fire was extinguished by the intervention of the teams. It was determined that 3 of the 5 children taken out of the house died from poisoning. The 2 injured children could not be saved at the hospital they were taken to. In the initial investigation regarding the fire, it was found that the door was locked.
MOTHER RELEASED
Melisa Akcan, who suffered a nervous breakdown from the pain of losing her children and was treated at the hospital, was taken to the police station for her statement after being discharged. Melisa Akcan, who was referred to the courthouse, was released under judicial control conditions. The funerals of the 5 siblings were buried side by side in Acarlar Cemetery the next day.
"I AM FINISHED, I HAVE DISAPPEARED"
After the incident, an indictment was prepared against Akcan for the crime of 'causing the death of multiple people through conscious negligence' with a request for up to 20 years in prison. It was requested that the mitigating provisions be applied, stating that Akcan experienced victimization due to her family situation, and the indictment was submitted to the court. The indictment was accepted by the Torbalı Heavy Penal Court. The defendant Sinem Melisa Akcan appeared before the judge at the Torbalı Heavy Penal Court last month. In her defense, Akcan said, "When I think of the smell of my children, the smell of the earth comes to my mind. I am finished, I have disappeared."
DECISION MADE IN THE FIRST HEARING, NO PENALTY FOR THE MOTHER
After Sinem Melisa Akcan, the father Hasan Akcan, who is in prison for another crime, did not file a complaint against his wife. Akcan's lawyer Cengiz Serttaş also requested the acquittal of his client. After the defenses, the prosecution stated that all evidence had been collected and presented its opinion on the merits. In the opinion, while a prison sentence of up to 20 years was requested for the defendant for the crime of 'causing the death of multiple people through conscious negligence', it was also stated that mitigating provisions should be applied. After the defenses, the decision was announced. The panel, which decided that Akcan did not have conscious negligence in the incident, ruled that Akcan was saddened by the death of the children and that there was no need for a penalty. The panel also lifted the judicial control provisions for Akcan.
"FORCED TO PROVIDE FOR HERSELF ALONE"
The court panel also explained the reasoning for the decision. It was emphasized in the decision that Akcan went to sell the scrap she had previously collected by turning on the electric stove to keep her five children warm while putting them to sleep in the same room. According to the camera footage, it was noted that Akcan stayed there for 7-8 minutes, received the cash of 400 lira for the scrap she sold on the day of the incident, and requested that the 400 lira she was owed previously be sent to her bank account, which was also proven by a receipt. The decision highlighted that on the date of the incident, the weather had started to get cold, and the electric stove was left on by Akcan to prevent the deceased children from getting cold due to their age and previous illnesses. It was emphasized that since her husband was in prison on the date of the incident, the care of the children fell to Akcan, who was also forced to provide for herself alone, and that she had to meet the food needs of the deceased children due to their number and age, and that there were no other relatives or acquaintances in the Selçuk district where they lived.
"LEFT THE DOOR HANDLE AS A PRECAUTION FOR THE OLDEST CHILD"
It was stated that Akcan was forced to take care of her 5 children alone and meet their needs, and that she earned her living by collecting scrap, and considering the financial impossibilities she was in, it was not possible for her to foresee the outcome that occurred. It was noted in the decision that the defendant tried to act carefully and left the inside door handle as a precaution for the oldest child, and that she would meet her children's needs by selling the scrap she collected on the day of the incident and left the workplace after staying there for about 7-8 minutes. It was stated that Akcan, in order to return to her children as soon as possible, received part of the scrap money in cash and requested that the remaining part be sent to her bank account, which, although contrary to her duty of care and diligence, she did not intend the outcome. Due to the nature of the incident, her personal skills, and the position of the deceased children, it was stated that it could not be said that she acted with the thought of 'it won't happen anyway'.
"THE DECISION WAS MADE WITH A COMPLETE SENSE OF CONSCIENCE"
In the research report included in the file, it was stated that when the subject of the deceased children was brought up with their mother, Akcan locked herself in the room, and after the children's death, she visited the cemetery. It was noted in the reasoned decision that the defendant had suffered a harmful outcome due to her personal and family situation, and that it was accepted that it was unnecessary to impose a penalty on Akcan, who had lost her 5 children. It was emphasized that due to these reasons, it was decided with a complete sense of conscience that there was no need to impose a penalty on Akcan.