Police officer who caused death of six-year-old child faces up to six years in prison

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The prosecution has demanded a prison sentence of up to 6 years for the police officer who caused the death of Efe Tektekin, 6, by running over him with an armored vehicle in the predominantly Kurdish populated southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

After a second scene investigation about two years after the child's killing in September 2019, his father, Ahmet Tektekin, was found to be primarily negligent for "not looking after" the child.

A new report by the Forensic Medicine Institution (ATK) following the hearing on December 23, found the police officer driving the vehicle "secondary negligent" because of acting carelessly.

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Defendant demanded acquittal

Speaking against the report at today's hearing, the officer said the scene of the incident was 150 meters away from the marketplace, but he had learned that there were no traffic signs limiting the maximum speed to 30 kilometers per hour as required.

"Since this case started, I've been asking myself at what speed I should've been driving. In the first report prepared by the ATK, it was unanimously accepted that I wasn't at fault. In the second report, it is said by the majority of the votes that I was at fault.

"A member of the team of experts named A.G. changed their opinion in the second report. Searching this member on the internet, I saw that he had given different verdicts within two days in 2009 in deadly traffic accidents in 2009.

"I have been driving armored vehicles since 2009. I couldn't take precautions against something that I didn't see. I'm innocent."

The attorney of the defendant requested a new expert report, alleging that the current one was prepared after a "cursory review."

Attorneys of the Tektekin family also objected to the expert report, as well as the police officer's defense that he had not known there was a marketplace.

The prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of from 2 to 6 years for the defendant for "causing death by negligence."

The police officer demanded his acquittal. The Diyarbakır 9th Penal Court of First Instance adjourned the case until March 29. (RT/VK)