A 2.5-year prison sentence given to Muhammed Hasan Şeyh Mahmud, the son of Somali President Hasan Sheikh Mahmud, who is accused of causing the death of motorcycle courier Yunus Emre Göçer, colliding him with the car he was driving in İstanbul, Fatih, has been converted to a fine of 27,300 lira.
Today, the trial at Istanbul 33rd Criminal Court of First Instance was attended by the lawyer of the deceased Göçer's father and the lawyers of the defendant.
In the trial, the prosecutor, in presenting their views on the substance, stated that the defendant Mahmud collided with motorcyclist Yunus Emre Göçer on Kennedy Avenue in the direction of Aksaray on November 30, 2023, with vehicle he was driving.
The legal opinion mentioned that as a result of the collision, Göçer was seriously injured and taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on December 6, 2023, according to the Forensic Medicine Institute report. It was emphasized in the opinion that when the defendant Mahmud attempted to change lanes to the right, Göçer, who was ahead, reduced his speed and moved to the right.
It was noted that the defendant failed to pay attention to crucial aspects, such as considering the motorcycle with a lit brake light and reduced speed, maintaining an appropriate braking measure along with keeping a safe following distance, or proceeding in a controlled manner to the left of the motorcycle.
It was mentioned that the defendant is deemed "primarily at fault," it was explained that Göçer was considered "secondarily at fault." It was stated that it is understood that the defendant's negligent actions led to Göçer's death, and a request was made for Muhammed Hasan Şeyh Mahmud to be sentenced to imprisonment for 2 to 6 years for the crime of "causing death by negligence."
After the announcement of this opinion, the defendant's lawyer, Şeyda Yıldırım spoke and said, "In terms of the consequences, the incident is very sad but is only an accident. We have tried our best to share the sorrows and heal the wounds as much as possible. The court's judgment is in your hands from now on."
Prison sentence converted to a fine of 27,300 lira
The court, in its decision, first sentenced the defendant Mahmud to 3 years in prison for the crime of "causing death by negligence."
Then taking into account the defendant's past, social relationships, post-incident and post-trial behavior, and the possible impact of the sentence on the perpetrator, the court applied a reduction according to Article 62 of the Turkish Penal Code and reduced the sentence to 2 years and 6 months.
Furthermore, considering the defendant's personality, social and economic situation, and the remorse expressed during the trial, the court decided to convert the prison sentence imposed on the defendant into a fine of 27,300 lira.
Additionally, the court ordered the seizure of the defendant's driving license for 6 months.
Couriers react to the decision
After the trial, Mesut Çeki, the President of the Courier Rights Association, addressed the press and stated that the prosecutor attributed 75% of the fault to the defendant and considered him primarily at fault.
Çeki mentioned that Göçer's father filed a complaint against the defendant, stating, "There is a clause called 'causing death by negligence.' Lawyers should explain this. One person will be 75% responsible for my death but will get away with 27,000 lira. He won't spend a day in prison. I don't think this is justice."
COURIER KILLED HIT BY CAR OF SON OF PRESIDENT OF SOMALI IN İSTANBUL:
Motorcycle courier's death: Chronology of a murder disguised as an accident
What happened?
The car driven by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the son of Somali President Hasan Sheikh Mahmud, hit motorcycle courier Yunus Emre Göçer from behind in Istanbul on November 30, at the Aksaray exit of the Eurasia Tunnel. Göçer was later pronounced dead on December 5 at the hospital.
Speaking to Cumhuriyet newspaper, Yunus Emre's wife, Öznur Göçer, explained that there was an attempt to cover up the incident, but the truth was revealed to them after the footage emerged on social media.
Öznur Göçer mentioned that after the accident, authorities questioned whether the courier Göçer was inexperienced, stating, "Until the footage came out, the police told us that my husband had committed suicide. If it weren't for the pressure from my husband's courier friends and the public, they might have closed the case by saying my husband committed suicide."
On December 8, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office made a statement regarding the son of the Somali President, who fled abroad after hitting the motorcycle courier in İstanbul's Fatih district.
The statement announced that international procedures were being followed to capture the suspect. It was noted in the statement that despite an arrest warrant being issued for the suspect, the instructions could not be executed due to his escape abroad.
(HA/PE)
