The first statement of the unlicensed police officer involved in the fatal accident in Şişli has emerged.

The first hearing of the trial of police officer Gülseren Uzun, who caused the death of one woman and serious injury to another by losing control of the police vehicle while reversing in Şişli, Istanbul, was held today at the 54th Criminal Court of First Instance in Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse. The complainant side, witness police officer Volkan Avcı, the lawyers of the parties, the injured Ayşegül Tofan, and the defendant police officer Gülseren Uzun participated via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS).

"I HELPED BECAUSE I HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE BACK AND FORTH"

Defendant Gülseren Uzun stated in her defense that the statements she had previously given to the police and the prosecutor's office were correct, saying, "On the day of the incident, I was on duty in the patrol team around 08:00. My colleague Volkan Avcı wanted to get into the team vehicle, but when he encountered the barriers, he said, 'Can you move the car back a bit?' Since I had obtained a driver's license at the police academy and had previously been able to move the vehicle back and forth, I wanted to reverse the vehicle. I pressed the brake and shifted the gear to R. When I took my foot off the brake, the vehicle suddenly reversed and moved back 1-2 meters. I immediately stopped the vehicle. When I got out and looked, I saw two people on the ground. I was in shock. I tried to help by holding the hand of the injured person to prevent her from losing consciousness and called for medical assistance." When asked about the reports indicating partial responsibility, defendant Gülseren Uzun said, "I have nothing to say; I did not see that person."

"I DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE ANYONE WITHOUT A MOTHER"

The police officer expressed that the incident was an accident that occurred during her duty and that she did not do it intentionally, saying, "I chose this profession to help people. I am not a person who would intentionally hurt anyone. I was very saddened by the death. I couldn't eat properly; I lost a lot of weight. It affected my psychology a lot. I prayed for that woman every day. I am also a child of a mother; I am a girl who grew up without a father since I was 13. I did not want to leave anyone without a mother. I am very sorry for what happened. I do not accept that the incident was due to conscious negligence. No police officer would intentionally cause such an incident."

"I AM NOT A COMPLAINANT"

Ayşegül Tofan, who survived the accident, stated, "On the date of the incident, I was walking towards Osmanbey. Ergül Hanım was also coming from the opposite sidewalk. We aligned with Ergül Hanım, but she was behind me. At that moment, I heard a sound and saw that Ergül Hanım was stuck between the wall and the car. I am not a complainant."

"EVERYONE WITHOUT A LICENSE KNOWS THEY CANNOT DRIVE"

Dursun Kaya, whose wife passed away in the accident, stated that he was a complainant, saying, "My two children are left without a mother. One of them is 7 years old. It is clear that the defendant is inexperienced. Everyone without a license knows they cannot drive. I still can't believe it. Whose vehicle is it assigned to? I am complaining about all the authorities. I have a request to join the public case."

"EVERYTHING HAPPENED IN 1-2 SECONDS"

Police officer witness Volkan Avcı, who was present at the time of the incident, stated, "Gülseren took over the duty from me 5 minutes before. I have a driver's license, but I do not know if the defendant has one. I have not driven any car, manual or automatic, since 2012. I tried to open the door, but I couldn't because of the metal barriers. I said, 'Can you move the car back a bit?' My friend shifted the vehicle to R. I was outside the car at that moment. It was a simple situation; we were not supposed to enter traffic. The vehicle suddenly lost control. I was in shock. Everything happened in 1-2 seconds. We immediately called 112. Ayşegül Hanım was less seriously injured. We tried to keep Ergül Hanım conscious."

"THE COURT SHOULD BE A HEAVY CRIMINAL COURT"

The complainant's lawyer stated, "In our court, there is one seriously injured person and one deceased. The court should be a heavy criminal court. We believe that the defendant should be tried for conscious negligence." In the prosecutor's opinion, due to the defendant being a police officer under TCK 53, it was requested that additional penalties be applied, such as being banned from performing public duties according to the court's decision, and that the detention should continue in accordance with CMK 100 and the following articles. The defendant's lawyers stated that their client should be tried for simple negligence and requested her release under judicial control conditions.

DECISION TO CONTINUE DETENTION

The court panel decided to send the file to the heavy criminal court by ruling that the court was not competent and ruled to continue the detention of police officer Gülseren Uzun.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

In the prepared indictment, it was requested that the suspect police officer Gülseren Uzun be sentenced to 2 years and 8 months to 9 years in prison for the crime of "causing death by conscious negligence."

WHAT HAPPENED?

The accident occurred in front of a shopping mall on Büyükdere Street in Şişli on September 10, 2024, around 08:30. While reversing, police officer Gülseren Uzun lost control of the vehicle and hit two women walking on the sidewalk, one of whom died, and the other was seriously injured. After the incident, the police officer was arrested.