Man sentenced to 15 months in prison for sexual assault of dog in İstanbul

An İstanbul court has sentenced a man to one year and three months in prison and a 600 day judicial fine for sexually assaulting a dog in the Pendik district.

The defendant, Cihat Koçhan, was convicted of kidnapping the dog, named Lucy, from the garden of her home in June 2025 and committing the assault.

During the third hearing of the case yesterday, a witness testified to seeing the incident from a balcony at around 5.00 am. The witness stated they clearly saw Koçhan assaulting Lucy in the garden in front of his residence and recorded the act.

The court concluded that the sexual assault had taken place based on the evidence presented. The judicial fine was set at 60,000 liras.

Although lawyers requested that the defendant receive the maximum possible sentence, the court opted for a lower penalty.

Sena Şengün, a lawyer from the İstanbul Bar Association Animal Rights Center, said the ruling was far from establishing justice. (TY/VK)