A court in İstanbul has sentenced a driver to seven years and six months in prison over a crash that killed 27-year-old motorcycle courier Batuhan Karabulut. The driver, Uğur S., was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.143 percent.
The Gaziosmanpaşa 16th Penal Court of First Instance convicted Uğur S. of "causing death through conscious negligence."
The court declined to grant a discretionary sentence reduction for good behavior but ordered his release, citing the time he had already spent in detention and the completion of evidence collection.
Uğur S. spent only five months in custody and was released for the second time within six months and 20 days of the crash.
The Gaziosmanpaşa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office challenged the release order the same day, seeking the driver's rearrest.
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Court orders release
The final hearing was held at the Gaziosmanpaşa 16th Penal Court of First Instance yesterday. Karabulut's mother, Serap Turhal, his sister, Bahar Tekir, and lawyers for both sides attended.
Uğur S., who was in custody, participated remotely through videoconference.
The prosecutor reiterated the opinion presented at the previous hearing, seeking a conviction for "causing death through conscious negligence" and the continuation of the defendant's detention.
Lawyers representing Karabulut's family argued that the offense should be classified as "intentional killing with probable intent" rather than conscious negligence. They asked the court to decline jurisdiction and refer the case to a heavy penal court.
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Uğur S. repeated his previous defense, acknowledging that his driver's license had previously been suspended for six months after he was found driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.054 percent.
He claimed that he had applied the brakes to avoid the crash and requested his acquittal and release.
Rejecting the family's arguments concerning probable intent, the court ruled that the defendant's actions constituted conscious negligence.
Under Article 85/1 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the court initially imposed a five-year prison sentence. It then increased the sentence by half to seven years and six months because the offense involved conscious negligence.
The court also declined to apply the discretionary sentence reduction provisions under Article 62 of the TCK, finding no grounds for a favorable assessment that the defendant would refrain from committing another offense.
Nevertheless, the court ordered his release. It cited the completion of his defense, the absence of evidence that could be tampered with, the time already spent in detention and its finding that continued detention would serve no further purpose.
The court also ordered the suspension of Uğur S.'s driver's license for two years, beginning after he completes his prison sentence.
Prosecutors cite 'concrete evidence' of flight risk
The Gaziosmanpaşa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office filed an objection to the release order, arguing that the severity of the sentence constituted grounds for continued detention, even though the conviction was not yet final.
Prosecutors also pointed to the defendant's conduct following an earlier release, including his failure to surrender after an arrest warrant was issued.
Uğur S. had previously been released after the first hearing. Following an objection by prosecutors, a warrant for his arrest was issued on Aug 7.
However, he did not voluntarily surrender. Police apprehended him on Sep 11, 35 days after the warrant was issued.
Prosecutors argued that the latest release order failed to address concrete circumstances indicating a risk of flight following the conviction.
They also challenged the decision to release him without imposing any judicial supervision measures.
Family to appeal ruling
Karabulut's family and motorcycle couriers who attended the hearing criticized both the sentence and the decision to release the driver.
The family and couriers said they would continue their legal fight before higher courts.
The conviction remains subject to appeal. Prosecutors' request to overturn the release order and have the defendant rearrested also remains pending before the judiciary.
A video of the press statement following the hearing is available on Kurye Haber's YouTube channel.
Expert reports found courier was not at fault
Batuhan Karabulut was killed on Mar 17, 2026, while working on the TEM highway near Eyüpsultan-5. Levent in İstanbul.
The car driven by Uğur S. struck vehicles traveling in the same direction before hitting Karabulut's motorcycle from behind. Karabulut died at the scene.
A test conducted approximately five hours after the crash found that Uğur S. had a blood alcohol level of 0.143 percent. He had also resisted police attempts to administer an alcohol test at the scene.
Expert reports submitted to the court found Uğur S. "primarily and entirely at fault" for the crash, while determining that Karabulut bore no responsibility.
In their final opinion, prosecutors said the defendant had made an improper lane change, failed to adjust his speed to road and traffic conditions, and violated traffic regulations.
They also concluded that his alcohol consumption had left him unable to operate the vehicle safely. (HA/VK)
