Appeals court rules monetary fine on police officer for causing death of two children 'appropriate'

Click to read the article in Turkish

A police officer caused the death of two siblings aged six and seven after hitting a house while maneuvering with an armored vehicle in Silopi district of the mostly Kurdish-populated southeastern province of Şırnak in May 2017.

A court sentenced officer Ö.Y. to 2 years and 1 month in prison for "recklessly causing the death of one or more people" and then converted the sentence to a monetary fine of 19.000 lira (~2,253 US dollars) in June 2019. The officer had initially faced 15 years in prison.

The chief of the police officer, M.M., was acquitted in the case.

CLICK - Police Officer Causing Death of Two Children on Duty Again

The family of Furkan (6) and Muhammed Yıldırım (7), the prosecutor of the case and the attorney of the Ö.Y. had also appealed the decision.

An appeals court today (November 4) ruled that the court ruling was appropriate and rejected the appeals on the merits, Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reported.

Handing down its judgment, the 16th Penal Chamber of the Gaziantep Regional Court of Justice stated that the proceedings during the trial process were in compliance with laws, the allegations and the defense were fully evaluated, and the evidence was discussed within the legal framework.

There was no lack of evidence and the court's conscientious conviction was based on and based on consistent evidence, the appeals court further stated.

The sentence was in compliance with the type of crime, it added.

The appeals court also rejected Ö.Y.'s request for acquittal.

An attorney of the Yıldırım family, Rojhat Dilsiz, said that their request for the trial of those responsible and the extension of the investigation had been rejected.

He added that the decision of the appeals court was "unacceptable" and they would bring the case to the Court of Cassation. (AÖ/VK)